Galactic Unity
by Parsec
Summary: An earth-shattering event forces the girls to travel through space, searching for a way to set things right once again...
1. Cataclysm

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GALACTIC UNITY

By: Mark J. Hadley

* * * * * * * * *

CHAPTER 1:

"Cataclysm"

The city of Townsville…in the country of the United States, on the planet Earth. One of the countless communities of people living and working from day to day across the world. While most of them prefer to live in peace with one another, there are always those who do not share the harmony of the others. People who set themselves apart from the others, even so far as to commit acts of terrible evil against them, or in some cases the entire world. It is ironic, then, that the world's greatest threat in its history would be discovered by one of these very villains.

In his volcano-top observatory, Mojo Jojo had taken some time off from observing Townsville to gaze up at the stars. He would never admit it to anyone, but this always relaxed him after a hard day of villainy. Sitting back and peering through the observatory's telescope, he started picking out his favorite stars and constellations.

"Ah, Orion," he said to himself. "You have not changed, my friend…not that you _would_, seeing as you're just a relatively stationary assortment of stars, but you are still a welcome sight. Perhaps once day, once I rule this pathetic world, I shall have a giant statue built in your honor. After my own, of course."

As he zoomed in the telescope to get a closer look at one of the stars, he became aware of something else. It was bright, almost like another star, but having seen this constellation many times, he knew that it was impossible. Frowning, he said, "Hmm, what's this? This was not here before…" He focused it to get a better look at whatever it was.

As it came into view, he suddenly realized what he was looking at. It wasn't a star, but an asteroid. "It must have passed through this region of space," he mused. "Well, it is interfering with my view, so if it would be so kind as to pass _out_ of this region of space, I can continue with my observations unhindered."

His computer uplink to the telescope started pulling up data on the asteroid, as it was programmed to do. He glanced at the screen, and felt his jaw drop open as he read it. "What?! This cannot be right! The computer must have read the information incorrectly, causing bad data to be generated instead of reliable data." His fingers flew across the computer's control panel as he double-checked the computations.

All he did was confirm the truth. He stared in shock at the numbers, and said, almost breathlessly, "No…no, this is impossible…unimaginable…unthinkable!" He suddenly knew what he had to do. Hopping down from the telescope's controls, he hurried over to his telephone…

* * *

The Powerpuff Girls sat in front of the television on the couch…Professor Utonium was with them, and they were enjoying a movie together. However, the phone rang, interrupting the movie, and the professor stood up, "I'll get it."

"Hurry back, professor, it's coming to the best part!" Buttercup said.

"I will," he said. Walking over to the table off to the side of the room where the phone was, he picked up the receiver and spoke into it, "Hello, Utonium residence."

A gruff voice spoke from the other end, "Professor Utonium. I have something I must discuss with you right away. Tonight. Immediately."

He recognized the voice, "Mojo? Is that you?" Upon hearing Mojo's name, the girls broke away from the movie and flew up next to the Professor, concerned.

"Of course it's me!" Mojo growled from the other end of the line, but then he spoke normally again, "I do not have time to fully explain. You have your own astronomical equipment, so I urge you to view the stars around Orion's belt. You will know what you are looking for when you see it."

"Wait, Mojo…what's this all about?" the professor demanded.

Mojo answered, "You will see. Now, go, right now! Do not delay any further!" There was a click, followed by a dial tone.

The professor stared at the receiver for a few moments in confusion. Blossom, still hovering next to him, spoke up, "What is it, professor?"

"Excuse me, I'll be right back…" He hung up the phone and hurried over to his lab, shutting the door behind him. The girls glanced at each other questioningly. They flew slowly over to the door and stared at it, trying to decide whether to follow him or not.

Buttercup wondered aloud, "What was _that_ all about?"

"And what did Mojo want?" Bubbles added.

"I don't know," Blossom said, "but I hope it's…"

"_GIRLS_!" the professor called from the lab. The girls immediately opened the door and flew downstairs. The professor was standing in front of one of the computers in his lab, examining a set of data on the screen. Even in the dim light of the lab, he looked pale.

Blossom quickly asked, "What's wrong? What did Mojo want?"

Swallowing once, the professor answered, "Mojo spotted something on his telescope, and told me to take a look at it too. I'm almost sorry I did…"

"Why? What is it?" Buttercup asked.

"An asteroid," he said. "A big one. It's almost as large as the Earth." He double-checked the trajectory, because he could still hardly believe it. "And worse, it's heading right for us. It'll smash into the Earth in less than a day. A collision with an object that size…it wouldn't just destroy all of _us_, but the entire _planet_ as well…"

"Oh no…we've got to do something!" Bubbles exclaimed.

The professor looked worried, "I don't know what we _can_ do. It's far too big."

"We've gotta try!" Blossom said. "Professor, where are the spacesuits? We're heading out right now to see if we can stop this thing."

"Over there," he said, pointing to a set of lockers against the wall.

Blossom nodded, "Thanks!" They flew over to the lockers, pulling out the sleek, silver spacesuits specially designed for them, since even with their powers they couldn't withstand the environment of space for more than a minute or two at best. They quickly put them on, leaving the helmets for last.

"There's enough air in these things for the trip and back, I hope…right?" Buttercup asked.

The professor nodded, "Plenty. It's still far away, so it'll take you a while to get out there, but there's enough air for a whole day in those suits."

"Good," Blossom said. "Let's go, girls!" Bubbles and Buttercup nodded together. They secured their helmets onto their spacesuits and flew out from the lab, heading for the front door.

The professor watched them leave. "Hurry…and be careful," the professor said.

* * *

The Powerpuff Girls flew out through the endless blackness of space, towards the asteroid far off in the distance, which was slowly becoming more and more visible. "Wow…" Buttercup exclaimed breathlessly through the suit radio. "Look at the size of that thing…"

"How are we gonna stop it?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom answered, "We've got time. Let's try everything we can think of. Maybe we can push it out of the way. C'mon!" They got closer and closer to the asteroid, and it slowly began to fill the sky in front of them. It wasn't until they were almost on top of it that they actually grasped the sheer magnitude of it. Extending off in all directions, it was almost like they _were_ on a huge planet.

"Uh…Bloss, I don't think we could push this thing an _inch_, even if we wanted to…" Buttercup said.

"We've got to try, anyway," Blossom said. They descended towards the asteroid's surface and landed on it. It even had it's own strong gravitational pull, almost equal to Earth's. "Ready? Push!" Blossom ordered. All three of them flew into the ground, pushing against it as hard as they could.

After a few minutes of this, Bubbles panted, "Is it…working…?"

"I don't…think so…keep pushing!" Blossom shouted, exerting more strength.

They tried more and more, but it was all too clear that their efforts weren't doing any good. They eventually broke off from it to catch their breath. "Okay, then…how about eyebeams?" Bubbles suggested. She started powering them up…

"Bubbles, no!" Blossom said, stopping her. "You'll burn a hole through your helmet…besides, it won't do any good; it'll be like trying to cut the _Earth_ in half with our eyebeams. It just can't be done."

"Well, maybe…we can just…" Buttercup trailed off. She suddenly flew down to the ground and started punching it with her full strength. Big pieces of rock cracked off from it…the tremors from her blows shattered an area almost a half-mile wide. "Yeah! Check it out, maybe we can just beat this thing down!"

But Blossom shook her head, "No…it's still too big. Even if the three of us spent all day trying to break up the asteroid, maybe we could break up an area the size of Texas, but that's still only a dent compared to the rest of it."

After a few moments of silence, Bubbles said, "So…so that's it? We're just gonna give up?"

"No, we're _not_ giving up," Blossom replied. "We just need to find the solution, but right now, we can't do anything _here_. Let's get back to Earth, and maybe the professor can come up with something."

"I sure hope he can," Buttercup remarked. "I'd hate to think what would happen if he couldn't…"

Blossom ordered, "Let's hurry back. The faster we get there, the more time we have to come up with a plan." All three of them took off from the surface of the asteroid, flying back in the direction of Earth, which was now visible in the distance…

* * *

Everything was in chaos. Most of the world was now aware of the monstrous asteroid, which now appeared just as big as the moon in the sky. This was causing widespread panic amongst the people, as no one knew what to do about it. It only got worse once the news spread that that the Powerpuff Girls had failed to stop it.

Tensions were mounting within a gathering of scientists in Washington, D.C. All of the greatest scientific minds in the country were flown out there by the fastest jets, including Professor Utonium. They went over plan after plan, trying to come up with a suitable strategy for destroying or diverting the asteroid, but every plan seemed to be destined for failure at a closer look.

The girls were at the meeting as well, ready at a moment's notice to try and carry out any plan that they would eventually decide upon. This gave the scientists great hope, even though the situation looked hopeless. As the scientists debated, Bubbles whispered to the other girls, "Why are they taking so long? We don't have a lot of time left, do we?"

"They're smart," Blossom reassured her. "They'll come up with something, don't worry."

While they were talking, the scientists were interrupted by an aide, who rushed over to them and said, "There's a message for Professor Utonium, he said it's urgent."

The professor nodded and pointed at the large screen, which had previously been showing a tactical map of the situation, and said, "Patch it through to the screen." A few moments later, the image was replaced by a picture of…

"Mojo!" the girls exclaimed together.

On the screen, Mojo held up his hands, "Hold on! I come before you in the interests of peace."

Professor Utonium raised an eyebrow skeptically, "What do you mean?"

"You see, I have given the situation a lot of thought," Mojo declared, "and it appears to me that the destruction of the world would not be beneficial for my own goals, as I would not be able to _rule_ the world if it were smashed into pieces. Therefore, I have decided to lend my own scientific knowledge to your efforts."

"I see," the professor said, brightening up a little.

"Professor!" Blossom said, flying over to him, "It's Mojo…are you sure we can trust him?"

"What's not to trust?" the professor answered. "If he can help us save the Earth, I don't see why we shouldn't let him."

"I guess you're right…" She turned to look at the screen, "What's your plan?"

Mojo stepped to one side on the screen, revealing a large apparatus in the observatory behind him. "I have just completed modifications to the telescope, converting it into a _very_ powerful laser. All I need is access to a large enough power supply, and I will be able to fire it upon the asteroid, thereby destroying it and preventing it's imminent collision with _us_."

The other scientists looked at the professor for his response. He nodded and said, "Okay, we'll do it." He turned to some of the other scientists and said, "Transfer the power immediately."

They hurried off to various computer stations and telephones to relay the message. Within minutes, Mojo's apparatus on the screen powered up to its maximum level. Mojo bowed to them and said, "I thank you for your help…now, cross your fingers, for this will require more than the usual amount of luck…"

Stepping over to the apparatus, he started working the controls, and the view shifted to an external camera. The telescope raised into position, aiming at the asteroid. A soft purple aura of energy built up around the entire observatory, and an even _brighter_ violet beam blasted forth from it, shooting off into the sky. Everyone watched the monitor hopefully.

At the distance, it took a minute for the beam to reach the asteroid. They watched as a bright white flash surrounded it as it impacted. Everyone let up a giant cheer. Bubbles shouted, "It worked! It worked!"

"Yeah! Mojo did something good for once!" Buttercup added, also overjoyed.

They all watched the monitor, as the white explosion faded out. Slowly, all of their smiles melted away, as they saw the impossible…the asteroid was still there, and besides a small scorch mark from the laser's impact, it looked more or less undamaged.

"But…but it was a direct hit…" Blossom whispered.

The screen shifted back to the inside of the observatory. Mojo was there, and he looked distressed. "This cannot be!" he exclaimed. "A beam of that power would likely have destroyed the _moon_! I miscalculated…I underestimated the asteroid's density…" He hung his head, closing his eyes. "Mojo has failed…"

After a few seconds of complete silence, Mojo's image disappeared from the screen as the transmission was cut. Bubbles broke the silence, "No…what are we gonna do…?"

The professor was thinking furiously, and said, "There's still _one_ more option left…" The other scientists leaned forward to hear what he had to say. "If we could gather up all the nuclear warheads we could get our hands on, and fly them up to the planet, placing them at strategic points, perhaps we can detonate it completely. But we have to hurry…there's not much time left."

"We're on it!" Blossom said quickly. "C'mon, girls! We need to get our spacesuits from back home. Everyone else, start gathering those warheads! We'll be back as soon as possible to deliver them…now, let's go!"

The girls flew out of the room, while the other scientists scrambled to phones or wherever they could to get the message out. Meanwhile, in the sky, the asteroid loomed ever closer…if they were going to pull this off, it would have to be at the last second…

* * *

Between the three of them, the girls towed the huge cargo unit into space. Packed into it were all of the nuclear warheads they could find. Even pulling this weight behind them, it took them only a minute to reach the asteroid, which was now far too close to the Earth for comfort.

"Okay," Blossom said through the suit radio. "Let's split up. Start putting these things wherever you can, about a hundred miles apart from each other. We want to cover as much of the surface as possible, got it?"

"Right!" Bubbles and Buttercup said together. They split the cargo unit off into three segments and each of them began off in different directions. They knew that down below, on the ground, everyone was watching and waiting…this was truly their last hope, and they were running out of time.

In flashes of pink, blue, and green, the three zipped across the surface of the asteroid, planting the warheads as they went. It was time-consuming, but eventually they were all in position. They finished up the last few, and flew off to one side, to a safe distance. From their side position, they watched both the asteroid and the Earth, the distance between them closing rapidly. There was maybe a little more than a minute left.

Buttercup shouted, "We're all clear! It's now or never, Bloss!"

"Okay…here it goes!" She raised the detonation device and, biting her lip, punched the button. In a dazzling flash of blinding white light, the explosions were set off all across its surface. Large pieces of rock were blasted clear from the asteroid, and a huge cloud of debris flew outwards from it.

As the light was fading, the girls strained to see. Bubbles asked anxiously, "Did it work?!"

They all watched. The debris scattered, the light from the explosions had almost completely faded out…and they could finally see it clearly. Although slightly smaller from the enormous chunks that were blasted from it, the asteroid was still there.

All three of the girls watched in horror as it approached the Earth. The gravitational forces between the two began visibly lifting objects into the air between them. In a single voice, the three of them screamed out together, "_NOOOO!!!!_" but they could do nothing else except watch helplessly. The asteroid collided with the planet, and in a devastating, yet painfully slow display, the two celestial objects obliterated one another. When it was all done, nothing remained of the Earth except for a few large chunks of rock, spinning endlessly through the darkness of space, leaving the girls all alone, the only survivors…

**__**

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Adrift

**GALACTIC UNITY**

**By: Mark J. Hadley**

*      *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *

CHAPTER 2:

"Adrift"

The terrifying spectacle the girls had just witnessed happened so quickly, it was almost too much for the mind to fully comprehend…yet, the sight of the Earth itself breaking up was something that seemed to last an eternity to them. Now that it was all over, the three of them floated there quietly in space, speechless, their breathing the only sound coming through their radios.

Eventually, Blossom drifted forward a few feet towards where the Earth once was, and whispered, "N-no…we…we failed them…"

Buttercup didn't take her eyes off the spot either, as she said, "I don't….I-I can't…believe…"

"P-Professor…" Bubbles whispered. "Miss Bellum…Ms. Keane…e-everyone…" She broke out crying, the tears collecting against the faceplate of her spacesuit.

Buttercup flew over and put a comforting arm around her. She herself was crying now too, though, and managed to say, "What are we…gonna do…?"

Blossom said, "I…I don't know…it…it _can't_ be over, not like this…" Tears welled up in her own eyes, finally, and she yelled, "_Not like this_!!"

They fell silent once again, as the hopelessness of their situation began to dawn on them. The Earth was everything they had ever known, and it was all taken away from them in an instant. Everything was gone…they were alone, adrift in space, with nowhere to go, and nothing left for them.

After another long silence, Bubbles finally spoke, "We'd…we'd better find someplace to go…"

Buttercup, though, said, "Like _where_? We're in _space_!"

"We're the only…the only ones still a-alive…" Bubbles managed, "…m-maybe we can find something…a planet to live on, or…"

"We _can't_…" Buttercup said, shaking her head, "Earth was the only planet with air, and you can't live…on…" She trailed off as something occurred to her. She looked over at Blossom, who stared back at her, and the look in her eyes told her that they were both thinking the same thing.

"Buttercup, how much air do you have left?" Blossom asked urgently. She checked the status panel on the arm of her own suit at the same time.

Buttercup read off her status, "Forty-two minutes…oh, man…"

"Me too…" Blossom said, confirming her own readouts. "_Less_ than that."

"So we're alive," Buttercup exclaimed, "but we're gonna run out of air and die _anyway_?"

Bubbles checked her own, and cried, "I've only got nineteen minutes left!!" She clutched onto Buttercup's arm and said, "What do we do? _What do we do_?!" She was on the verge of panic.

"Easy, Bubbles!" Blossom said, even though she felt terrified as well. "Breathe slowly…you'll use up the air in your suit too fast."

"What does it _matter_?" Buttercup said, with a nervous chuckle. "We've _had_ it either way!"

"Get a grip on yourselves, you two!" Blossom ordered. "Now…let's just talk…we might as well make the most of…of what time we have left…"

Buttercup calmed down, and said, "You're right…I just feel like talking, too…"

Bubbles paused, and said in a small voice, "…okay…but I'm…still scared…"

"Me too, Bubbles." Buttercup admitted. "Me too…" Buttercup gazed out into the darkness. _Man,_ she thought, _what a crummy way to die...all alone out here...no funeral, no burial, nothing. Just waiting until it's time. What kind of end is _that_? Not what I had in mind...not at all..._

*              *              *

                They had found a small piece of rock to sit on, part of the debris from the explosion, and just talked for a while. They mostly talked about the things they missed about the Earth, or their own expectations of the future. "Y'know, it's funny," Buttercup said. "I always thought someday I'd grow up to be the world's greatest superhero or something. The toughest fighter on Earth."

                Blossom looked down at the chunk of rock they were sitting on and said, "Heh…I guess technically you _are_." Buttercup grinned a little at that.

                Bubbles placed her hand down on the rock, like she was trying to feel it through the suit, and said, "Our own little piece of home…you know what I'm really gonna miss a lot?" The other shook their heads, and she continued, "Ice cream."

                Blossom smiled, "Yeah…with whipped cream…"

                "And chocolate sauce…" Buttercup said, leaning back a little.

                Bubbles added, "And a cherry on top. _Two_ cherries, like we'd always get when the professor made th--…" She cut herself off, blinking to remove some tears that formed. "I wish I knew it was the last time we were going to see him…I-I would have said goodbye…"

                Buttercup said sadly, "Yeah…I know what you mean…"

                Bubbles hesitated, then said, "I'm even going to miss Mojo. He tried to help us in the end. Maybe, even after all the bad stuff he's done, he really _wasn't_ so bad after all..."

                "He sure didn't deserve a fate like that," Blossom said. "_None_ of the people on Earth did."

                "We don't deserve _this_ fate, either...but then, who really deserves _any_ kind of fate?" Buttercup remarked.

                "Why, Buttercup," Blossom said, cracking a grin. "I'm impressed...that's very philosophical of you." Buttercup smiled. Blossom thought, _That's good...keep everyone in good spirits. I don't want our final moments to be unhappy, no matter _how_ dismal things are..._

                Bubbles looked down at her status display, and read it aloud, in a shaky voice, "Less than a minute." Buttercup and Blossom each took one of her hands as she continued, "I love you guys…d-don't leave me…" They could feel her hands trembling, even through her suit.

                "We're right here," Buttercup said, choking back her tears. "We're not going anywhere."

                "Bubbles…" Blossom whispered softly, at a loss for words. Bubbles smiled at her. As she did, her suit buzzed a warning, and the readout on her suit flashed red, '_Warning: air supply depleted._' Her breathing quickened a little in fear, but only for a moment, because in the next, she gasped, trying to take in the thinning air that was left in the suit.

                Buttercup clenched her eyes shut--she couldn't bear to watch it--but she didn't let go of Bubbles' hand for a second. _This is going to happen to us, too, _she thought_...a preview of things to come. It's worse than knowing I'm going to die: seeing exactly how it's going to happen..._

As Bubbles' gasps became worse, Blossom bit her lip, her mind racing. She suddenly reached back on her suit, detaching her air supply. Her suit buzzed a warning in protest, but she didn't listen to it. Instead, she flew back quickly behind Bubbles and pulled her empty air tank off, replacing it with hers.

                Buttercup saw this and exclaimed, "What are you doing?!"

                The air flowed back into Bubbles' suit, and she coughed a few times, taking deep breaths. Bubbles looked over at Blossom and managed to say, "You…*cough*…y-you gave me your air?…but why…?"

                Blossom didn't say anything, but just smiled. A second later, she wheezed slightly as what air was left in her suit slowly ran out. Buttercup flew over, grabbing her arm in an embrace, "No! Blossom!" Bubbles, her strength returning, grabbed her other arm similarly. Blossom began convulsing as she tried desperately to take in another breath.

                _Blossom, why did you have to go and do that?_ Bubbles thought. _You didn't have to give up the rest of your air for me…but you'd give up _anything_ for one of us, wouldn't you?_ She cried, completely speechless at Blossom's self-sacrificial act, the last noble thing she would ever do...

                They suddenly became aware of movement. The light from the sun, which had been shining on them until now, was momentarily eclipsed. Both of them looked up in surprise, and saw what it was: a sleek metallic vessel, in an odd-looking teardrop shape, tapering off at one end. They only had a few moments to look at it, before a cone of swirling blue energy shot out from the ship, surrounding them. They dematerialized, leaving behind only the rock they had been sitting on…

*              *              *

                The girls materialized on a raised platform. The only light came from the ceiling just above the platform, where a bright white light shown down on them, but everything else around it was in darkness. Blossom was still struggling, and reflexively disconnected the seal on her helmet, removing it with a loud hiss. As she did, she gasped, and coughed a few times, thankfully taking in lungfuls of air from around her.

                Bubbles was relieved, "Blossom! You're okay!"

                Blossom nodded, still panting, "I-I can breathe…there's air here!"

                Buttercup removed her own helmet and took in a cautious breath. Bubbles did as well. "Yeah, you're right…" Buttercup said, "but…where _are_ we?"

                The light above them grew dimmer, while at the same time, the rest of the room illuminated gradually. The room was round, with the bluish metallic walls at a slightly curved angle, almost like the side of a dome. They were mostly featureless, save for a few square panels, including some that had computer readouts on them. There was a single door set into the wall, a couple of feet wider and taller than an average human-sized door. As soon as the lights had finished coming on, the door slid into the wall, opening up.

                As the girls watched, a single figure strode into the room. She was definitely alien, but she had vaguely humanoid features, and looked recognizably feminine. The features on her head were lizard-like, almost like a dragon. Despite her organic appearance, though, her skin was shiny, almost like it was made of metal, and her eyes had a soft blue glow. She also had lizard-like feet and a long tail, and a pair of large, curved wings, angelic-style, were folded on her back. She wore a shining silver metal suit on her body, like part of an environment suit that was missing the arms, legs, and helmet.

                As she approached the platform, the girls climbed to their feet and stared at her warily. She didn't make any threatening movements, however, and smiled at them instead. It spoke to them in some strange language, "_Bsf zpv uisff bmm sjhiu_?"

                Blossom scratched her head, "I-I'm sorry, we don't understand…"

                Turning around, Bubbles looked at Blossom and said, "Oh, she asked if we were all right."

                "Huh? How do you know _that_?" Buttercup said, confused.

Blossom just grinned. _That's our Bubbles,_ she thought. _Our little universal translator. I'm beginning to think she can speak with _any_ living thing_. "Tell her we're all right…and tell her 'thank you', also."

Bubbles nodded, and looked back at the alien, saying, "_Xf bsf bmm sjhiu…uibol zpv_!"

The alien looked relieved…she glanced at the others, and said something long and descriptive, "_Uif puifst ep opu voefstuoe nf. Jg zpv mfu nf upvdi zpvs ifbe, J dbo mfbso zpvs mbohvbhf_."

Thinking for a second, Bubbles smiled and said, "_Plbz_!" Nodding, the alien reached out with her hand, placing it on Bubbles' head. The other girls looked concerned, but Bubbles didn't resist, like she had been expecting it. The alien closed her eyes, and a white aura appeared briefly around her hand. After only a couple of seconds, she removed it, and opened her eyes again.

"What was _that_ all about, Bubbles?" Buttercup demanded.

The alien suddenly spoke up, "I think I can explain." Blossom and Buttercup were both surprised to hear her speaking English, but Bubbles didn't seem to be at all. The alien continued, "I was able to make a limited telepathic link so that I could learn your language."

"Who are you?" Blossom asked.

"My name is Xianea. I was on a peaceful, information-gathering expedition to this section of the galaxy, when I discovered the predicament your planet was in. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could have done to prevent it…"

"Us either," Buttercup admitted sadly.

"I _am_ surprised to find survivors, though," Xianea commented. "I didn't expect to find any, though I searched anyway just to be sure. I'm glad now that I did."

"So are we!" Blossom said. "You showed up just in the nick of time. Any longer and…well…we would have been in trouble. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Xianea walked back towards the door, motioning for the girls to follow. They flew behind her, and she raised an eyebrow as she walked, "Fascinating…your species has the ability to defy gravity?"

"Not really," Blossom answered. "We, uh…we aren't exactly 'typical' earthlings…"

Xianea nodded, "Ah, that would explain it. I admit I have almost no data on your world. It's one of the reasons I came this way in the first place. I'm a Centraxian…the driving force of our species is to gather knowledge. To this end, we observe other species from all over the galaxy, learning about their history and culture."

They continued walking down a narrow hallway, and entered into what looked like the cockpit center for the ship. There was a single seat in the front, with a set of controls, and several passenger seats, it looked like, behind it. She sat down in the front and started working the controls. The girls took their own seats as well. "Where are we going now?" Bubbles asked.

                "Hmm…" Xianea thought. "If you have someplace in mind, I'll gladly take you there. It's the least I could do."

                "We don't know anyone out here," Buttercup answered.

                "That's right," Blossom agreed. "Earthlings don't…I mean, _didn't_…have the technology to go into space very often. We have no place to go…"

                "I could take you back to Centraxia with me," Xianea offered. "It's not Earth, but perhaps we can ask the Repository to find you a suitable home…"

                "The Repository?" Bubbles asked, curiously.

                Xianea started inputting their course back to her homeworld, and the stars out the front rolled by as the ship changed course. She explained, "The Repository of Knowledge. It's an enormous…" She hesitated, trying to think of the closest English word to describe it. "…'database' of information, everything that the Centraxians have gathered for centuries. It'll have information on thousands of inhabited worlds. All you need to do is ask it to find one similar to your own world, and if one exists, it will find it."

                "Wow…that's pretty cool…" Buttercup said.

                "'Cool'?" Xianea replied, confused. "The temperature on Centraxia is usually quite pleasant, actually…"

                Blossom shook her head, "Sorry, it's slang." Suddenly, an idea came to her, and she quickly asked, "Hey, this 'Repository' you're talking about…can it answer _anything_?"

                Xianea thought about that for a second, "Mostly…the information it holds is so extensive that it can extrapolate almost anything that it doesn't know for certain."

                "Do you think…" Blossom hesitated, then continued, "Do you think it could find some way of bringing our planet back?" The other girls stared at her. "I'm just saying…maybe somewhere it has information on how to bring back something that's been destroyed, or how to travel through time, or _something_."

                "That's an interesting idea," Xianea said thoughtfully. "If such technology existed, the Repository would certainly know about it. I think we would be willing to help you. From our limited knowledge of Earth, it was rumored to be a place of incredible diversity of information, history, culture and art, the likes of which no other planet has seen before. The loss of such a world would be a great loss to the Centraxians as well."

                "Oh, thank you!" Bubbles exclaimed. "You don't know what this means to us…"

                "It's really no trouble at all," Xianea said. "By the way, I haven't asked you your names yet…what do you call yourselves?"

                Blossom spoke up, "My name's Blossom…these are my sisters, Bubbles and Buttercup. Together, we're usually known as the Powerpuff Girls."

                "Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup," Xianea said. "Interesting connotations your names have in your language. It is an honor to meet you, 'Powerpuff Girls'. If you're ready, I can begin our trip to Centraxia."

                Bubbles nodded, "We're ready. Right?" The other girls nodded as well.

                "Excellent," Xianea smiled. She flipped a few switches on the control panel, and a low hum filled the ship. "You girls should probably hold on to something…since you're new to space travel, you probably aren't used to singularity jumps yet."

                "Singu-_what_?" Buttercup asked. A moment later, in front of the ship, a small, dark-purple vortex opened up, pulling the ship forward into it. The ship seemed to stretch forward for a moment, then vanished altogether, off on its way to Centraxia…

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	3. Outsiders

****

GALACTIC UNITY

By: Mark J. Hadley

* * * * * * * * *

CHAPTER 3:

"Outsiders"

The stars outside of Xianea's ship streaked past as the ship completed the singularity jump, now accelerated to incredible speeds. The unusual feeling of stretchiness during the jump had passed, and everything returned to normal again. The girls, though, weren't quite back to normal themselves. "Ughh…" Buttercup muttered, looking a little green, "I think I'm gonna be sick…"

Blossom, who was doubled over and clutching her midsection, agreed, "Yeah…no kidding…Bubbles, you okay?" Bubbles had one hand over her mouth, and waved the other, indicating that she didn't want to risk saying anything right now.

Xianea looked up from the controls, "Don't worry, it will become easier after the first few times."

Buttercup leaned over the edge of the chair and said, "What _was_ that, anyway?"

"That is the most common method of faster-than-light travel used in this portion of the galaxy," Xianea explained. "By creating a small singularity in front of the ship, its enormous gravitational pull will seize the ship and accelerate it forward. Then, the singularity is deactivated, but the ship continues forward at its current velocity. One can likewise create a singularity just _behind_ the ship to slow it back to a stop once again."

"Amazing…" Blossom said.

"Yes, indeed. Unfortunately," Xianea continued, "the effect of the sudden acceleration toward the singularity feels quite unpleasant if you're not used to it. But don't worry…after a few more jumps, you won't even know the difference."

Bubbles looked like she was starting to feel a little better. She hovered up out of her seat and floated to the front, where Xianea was piloting, and gazed out of the cockpit at the stars streaking by. "So, we're going to Centraxia?"

Xianea shook her head, "Not directly. We need to make a few stops first. There's a station out this way, and I'll need to visit it for supplies."

Blossom nodded. "What's this station like?"

Xianea hesitated, then said, "Um, well…It's sort of a rough place. The Galactic Monitors don't have jurisdiction in this area…" Seeing the confused look on their faces, she quickly explained, "The Monitors are a group of powerful robots that enforce galactic law. This station lies outside their boundaries, though, so it attracts a lot of criminals and bounty hunters and the like."

"Sounds like a real nice place," Buttercup remarked. "How long before we get there?"

"We're almost there already," Xianea answered. She motioned for them to return to their seats, while she prepared to decelerate the ship.

The girls sat back down, and Blossom said to the others, "All right…this could be a dangerous place we're going to be walking into, so let's make sure we follow Xianea the whole time. Don't split up, we don't want to get lost out here."

"Okay," Bubbles said, who wasn't planning on it anyway. Buttercup just nodded.

"Brace yourselves," Xianea warned, starting the sequence. The singularity appeared behind the ship, pulling it to a stop just as fast as it had accelerated the ship before. The sensation was different this time, more of a crushing than a stretching. They didn't feel nauseated like before, but instead, it felt like the wind was knocked out of them. Still, it wasn't as bad as before, so after a few deep breaths, they recovered.

Blossom panted, catching her breath, "Everyone all right?" Bubbles and Buttercup both nodded.

The stars outside were stationary once again. The ship rolled to one side, and they started approaching the station in the distance. The girls, interested by this, flew out of their seats and over to the glass to stare out of the cockpit. "Wow…" the three of them said together.

The station consisted of a huge central hub, from which 6 tube-like sections protruded. A similar, smaller module was at the end of each one of those, and dozens of spaceships, some large and some small, were attached to the sides of each of the smaller modules. The station had plenty of windows and lights across its surface as well, which consisted largely of a dark red metal.

"Paradise Fringe, they call it," Xianea told them. "We should be able to stock up on everything we need there. I'm going to need fuel cells for the ship, as well as other provisions."

Blossom nodded, and as the ship started moving into docking position with one of the station modules, she turned to the others and said, "Let's leave our spacesuits behind. We won't need them on the station, and there's no sense putting them through any more wear and tear."

"Got it," Buttercup said.

The ship shook briefly as it docked with the station, and Xianea got up, "I only have one other piece of advice for you while you're on the station with me. If you see _anyone_ wearing a symbol of a star with blades on each of its points, show them respect. Those are members or associates of the Gyahembu family…they run the station, and they're the law around here. Just be careful around them."

"We will," Bubbles promised.

Xianea nodded, satisfied, and flexed her wings slightly, "All right…let's go."

* * *

The four of them traveled along the primary walkway towards the central hub of the station. Alongside of them were dozens of shops, each selling all kinds of different items, including food, clothing, mechanical parts, weaponry…anything anyone could want, it looked like there was a shop to buy it. The walkway was also packed with aliens of all shapes and sizes, wandering back and forth along their way, some of them sulking in the corners or keeping to the shadows. Many of them looked very ferocious, and quite a few of them were armed as well.

The girls felt conspicuous with their brightly-colored appearance, a sharp contrast to the dark colors most were wearing. Of course, being cute little children wasn't helping either, nor was the fact that they were floating off the ground instead of walking. A number of bystanders cast stares in the their direction as they passed.

"I don't like this," Bubbles whispered to Blossom. "Maybe we shoulda stayed behind in the ship…"

"We'll be okay," Blossom reassured her. "Just don't wander off."

Xianea, in the lead, was looking back and forth, glimpsing into each shop as they passed. "One of these will have the fuel cells I'm looking for. I need M-class cells, and so far, all I've seen are G and K class."

They passed a rather large, blob-like creature with tentacles, heading in the opposite direction, and it glanced at them with its one eye as it passed them. Buttercup looked back over her shoulder at it and said, "Man, there are some freaky creatures here…"

She suddenly bumped into someone, since she wasn't watching where she was going. Looking forward again, she started to say, "Hey, watch where you're…" but trailed off. The creature she bumped into was at least 8 feet tall, and muscular. It was covered with dark green scales and had a pair of glowing yellow eyes and a row of long, sharp teeth on its crocodile-shaped head. It was wearing a red outfit emblazoned with the symbol of a bladed star.

"_Cyddathjah yuhojnarei ayguau chozig_!" it growled, grabbing Buttercup in one of its huge, clawed hands. Xianea and the other girls froze and watched this happen, unsure what to do. The movement and conversation of everyone in the walkway came to a dead halt as they watched to see what would happen.

Buttercup was going to try and break free, but she recognized the symbol it wore, and decided that it wouldn't be a good idea. "Ah," she said nervously to the others, "a little help, here?"

Blossom said, "Bubbles, quickly…tell him we're sorry!"

Bubbles flew quickly over next to the creature and spoke in his language, "[We're sorry, we weren't watching where we were going.]"

The creature looked at her and narrowed its eyes. After a moment's thought, it said, "[Hmmph. You're lucky I'm in a good mood today. I'm going to let you go, but next time, your friend here gets blasted out of an airlock.]" It released Buttercup, who floated back a little to a safe distance.

"[Thank you…it won't happen again,]" Bubbles promised.

"[See that it doesn't!]" it snarled, and continued walking. The crowd of people parted to give him enough space to pass, then got back to their regular business, although more of them now cast glances at the girls.

Xianea let out a sigh of relief, and her expression became serious, "You _must_ be more careful. They have an extensive network…if you get on their bad side, they'll hunt you down if necessary." She glanced around, "I think it would be best if we didn't stand out in the open like this. We're very noticeable out here."

The girls agreed, and the four of them quickly headed off towards the nearest establishment. It looked like some kind of restaurant/bar, but it seemed like there were a lot of people just lounging around at the tables instead of eating or drinking. They took a seat at an empty table off to one side…the girls still felt conspicuous, but at least they weren't standing out in the open anymore.

"We might as well have something to eat while we're here," Xianea said. "What do you think?"

Bubbles thought about that and remarked, "Well, I _am_ getting kinda hungry…"

"They won't have any foods from Earth, though," Buttercup pointed out.

Xianea shook her head, "No, unless by some miracle one of them has visited your planet. But I highly doubt it."

"Eh, I didn't think so," Buttercup frowned.

"Perhaps there is something comparable, though," Xianea suggested. "What is it that your species consumes? Energy? Minerals? Other lifeforms?"

"Heh…I suppose other lifeforms," Blossom said. "Err, not actually _alive_ though."

"Hmm, I see," Xianea said. "Plant, or animal?"

"Either," Blossom replied.

Bubbles cleared her throat. "Ahem! Some of us _only_ eat plant…" she reminded her.

"Okay," Xianea said. "Raw, or cooked?"

"Cooked!" all three girls said.

"Hmm, perhaps an ilyae root," Xianea said thoughtfully. "I'm told it's quite tasty to lifeform-eaters." The girls nodded their okays, and Xianea signaled for a server. The furry, cat-like creature came over to the table, and Xianea said to it, "Three broiled ilyae roots and a type-four elec." The server nodded and went off to get the order.

"You've been so kind to us," Blossom said. "If there was someway we could repay you…"

"No payment of any kind is necessary," Xianea told her. "But…I _would_ like to hear more about your Earth. That is, if you're willing to talk about it…I know it was a great loss you suffered today."

"No, it's…it's all right," Buttercup said. "The Earth had lots of _everything_ you could imagine…"

"_Millions_ of different kinds of plants and animals," Blossom added. "_We_ still hadn't even discovered them all."

"Yeah, and all the people…" Bubbles said. "The music…the art…the…" She paused, and closed her eyes for a moment, not wanting to cry in a place like this. In a low voice, she whispered, "I want to go home…"

Blossom put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Don't worry," she said. "We'll find a way."

The server came back to the table. In front of each of the girls, it placed a plate holding a large, bulb-shaped object…they were a strange blue color, and were steaming, like they had just been cooked. Several small orange spots covered the skin just around the top part, but the rest of it didn't have a single spot. In front of Xianea, the server set down a glass containing a softly glowing purple liquid.

While Xianea lifted her glass and took a sip of it, the girls stared at the ilyae roots in front of them quietly. Buttercup was the first to say something, "Go ahead, Blossom…see if it's good or not."

"No, you go ahead," Blossom replied, not taking her eyes off the root. "You don't have to wait for _me_ to start."

Bubbles picked up a utensil off the table…it looked vaguely like a fork, except with the four prongs set in a small circle instead of a straight line. She poked it into the root and pulled some of it out…it was a light blue underneath the outer skin, almost a sky blue. Otherwise, it had a consistency similar to a baked potato. Closing her eyes, she gingerly lifted the "forkful" of root up to her mouth and took a bite.

The other girls watched her expectantly. "Well?" Buttercup asked.

Bubbles' eyes opened up as she chewed, and she smiled. Swallowing the bite she'd taken, she said, "Hey! This is good!" She took another bite. Looking at each other, Blossom and Buttercup shrugged, and took their own forkfuls of root, tasting them. Their faces lit up, just as Bubbles' did.

"It's kind of sweet in a way," Blossom commented, "but still hearty…I like it!"

"I could _swear_ there's cinnamon in here," Buttercup said.

They began to eat with more enthusiasm now. Bubbles looked over at Xianea, who was still sipping her drink, and said, "What _is_ that, anyway?"

"My species consumes energy directly," Xianea answered. "Although _any_ energy substance can sustain us, we prefer it in this refined, liquid-like state, because it is much more appetizing."

"Is it good?" Bubbles asked.

"To me, yes," Xianea said, setting the glass back down. "It would probably do some serious damage to you if _you_ drank it, though. It's not meant for organics."

Blossom stopped eating for a moment so she could talk, "Are you a robot?"

Xianea shook her head, "No, but I _am _biomechanical. I'll explain it to you better during the trip to Centraxia. Although, we're _still_ going to need to find M-class fuel cells before we go. They must be in short supply right now…"

There suddenly came a voice from the next table, whispering, "Pssst..." They turned to look in that direction, and saw someone wearing a dark cloak. He looked up at them...it was a purple-skinned bug-like alien with segmented eyes. His voice came again, and they realized he wasn't speaking to them directly, but rather, communicating telepathically. "Come join me at my table...I have a proposition for you..."

Xianea and the girls looked at each other, and Xianea shrugged. They picked up their food and carried it over to the table where the stranger was sitting. As they did, he continued, "My name is Alyxk. I couldn't help but overhear that you are looking for M-class fuel cells. Your guess was correct, they _are_ rather scarce at the moment."

"That's what I was afraid of," Xianea said. "We'll have to wait until the next shipment comes in, then."

"Not so," Alyxk said. "For you see, I anticipated the shortage, and stocked up on a number of the cells myself. I would be willing to let you have some of them...but you must do something for _me_ first..."

Blossom narrowed her eyes...she instantly knew it was probably something illegal, but she said, "We're listening..."

Alyxk explained, "My brother had been wrongfully accused of stealing from the Gyahembu...they locked him up in the prison cells of the lower central hub. I want you to free him."

"Us? How?" Bubbles asked.

"Don't play dumb," Alyxk said. "I can only read your surface thoughts, but I can see that you have great power, the three of you. This should be a simple task. Do we have an agreement? I guarantee that you will find no other fuel cells of that class on board this station _anywhere_."

They thought about it for a few more moments, and Xianea said, "Well...if he _was_ wrongfully accused, then he doesn't belong in the prison. What do you think, girls?"

Buttercup said, "I agree...let's bust him outta there! Besides, it's our only way off of this station."

"I dunno..." Blossom said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. She finally thought, _Ah, what the heck This whole place is a giant collection of criminals anyway...these Gyahembu are probably just as crooked. So it wouldn't really matter, there's no real _law_ we're breaking...we're just trying to do what's right..._ She finally said, "Okay, we'll do it." She reached out and shook Alyxk's hand.

"Excellent," he said. "I shall see you back here, in this same place, when he has been released. Oh, and don't worry about paying for your food...it's on me."

"Thanks!" Bubbles exclaimed. She finished up her ilyae root, as did the other girls, before getting up to leave. Xianea went with them, out of the establishment, but she looked troubled. Bubbles asked, "What's wrong?"

"Centraxians are peaceful by nature," Xianea admitted. "We detest participating in any kind of violence. I'm afraid that if you're going to 'bust out' this person, I won't be able to help you."

"That's all right," Blossom said. "I think we can handle it by ourselves, right?"

Buttercup nodded, "Right."

"If you are certain, then I suppose it's for the best," Xianea said. "All right. I will wait for you here, in the walkway. Please be safe."

Blossom said "We will. All right, girls, let's roll!" The three of them flew off towards the central hub. Xianea watched them go, and said something under her breath, in her native tongue_, "J ipqf uifz xjmm cf plbz_..." She could do nothing but wait and see how everything turned out...

**__**

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Justice

**GALACTIC UNITY**

**By: Mark J. Hadley**

*      *      *      *      *      *      *      *      *

CHAPTER 4:

"Justice"

The corridors leading to the central hub of Paradise Fringe weren't as crowded as the rest of the station. It consisted mostly of people going to and from their living quarters, or various associates to the Gyahembu family, patrolling for trouble. The girls made their way down these corridors as casually as possible, trying not to attract _too_ much attention as they made their way in the direction of the station's jail cells.

Bubbles was hoping that no one would stop them and ask where they were going. Blossom was a much better fast-talker than she was, but unfortunately, _she_ was the only one that could speak to anyone here. It made her nervous that she might say the wrong thing.

Blossom wasn't feeling too good about this whole thing, either. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt some doubt about this mission. What if they were lied to, and this was a dangerous criminal they were releasing? It would be wrong to set him free. But what if he _was_ innocent? It would be wrong for him to be locked up like that. She wished she could have gotten more information before making a decision.

                Buttercup pointed up ahead down the corridor and said, "Look over there…I think that's where it is." She was pointing at a heavy door, flanked by two brutish guards, who looked to be the same species as the one Buttercup bumped into earlier. They were likewise wearing red outfits emblazoned with the bladed star symbol of the Gyahembu. The guards saw their approach and eyed them warily, but did not stray from their posts.

                "Ok, I have a plan," Blossom whispered to the others. "Pretend like we're lost." Buttercup and Bubbles both nodded, and as they headed the rest of the way down the corridor, they glanced worriedly around, like they were trying to get their bearings. One of the guards narrowed its eyes, and gave a low snarl.

                Blossom flew up to them and said, "Um, excuse me…we're lost…can you help us?"

                The guard she spoke to growled, "_Budkaiwo jras oo evquiazsevowegateikn oohytxss_!"

                Bubbles waved her arms apologetically and said in their language, "[She said we're lost. Can you help us?]"

                The guard frowned, "[You are not allowed to be here, children.]"

                "[This isn't where the ships are?]" Bubbles asked.

                "[No, it is the detention center,]" the other guard explained. "[Go back the way you came and follow it all the way to the docking module.]"

                Bubbles smiled, "[Thank you!]" She turned to Blossom and said, in English again, "He said this is the detention center." Blossom smiled and nodded. She gave a few quick glances in each direction to make sure no one else was coming, and took a deep breath. The guards each rose a scaly eyebrow curiously at this.

                In the next instant, Blossom blew a blast of her ice breath at them. Before they could react, they were frozen solid in a block of ice. Buttercup flew past them and pried the door open, sliding both halves of the door in opposite directions. "C'mon, let's hurry!" she exclaimed, and all three of the girls quickly darted through the open doorway.

                Inside, there were long rows of cell doors on the side, each with a small window to see the occupant within. At the far end of the room was a security panel where another of the aliens was seated. It was surprised to see the girls flying in, and started reaching for the alarm.

                "Oh no you _don't_!" Bubbles shouted, flying across the room with a kick, knocking it away from the panel before it could set the alarms off. She immediately followed with three punches, knocking it back into the far wall, where it slumped to the ground, unconscious.

                "All right…now, let's find this guy and get out of here, before we get in _real_ trouble," Blossom ordered. They each started going around the room, peering into each cell to see if the person they were looking for was inside. The cells themselves were rather dark and dank, and didn't even have a bed or anything else. Some of them were occupied, and the creatures inside were either huddled on the ground or lying up against the wall.

                Buttercup gritted her teeth, "What kind of prison _is_ this? It's more like a dungeon!"

                "Hey, I found him!" Bubbles called out. They flew over to the door she was at, and looked through the window. Sure enough, the creature inside bore a strong resemblance to Alyxk, except he was scrawnier, like he had eaten very little for days. He looked up weakly and saw the girls at this cell, and a small smile seemed to cross his face.

                "Thank goodness," came a telepathic buzz from him. "My brother sent someone to rescue me."

                "Stand back from the door," Blossom called out. The alien nodded, and backed away. Blossom fired her eyebeams, slicing through the thick metal of the door, and it fell inwards. The alien limped forward out of the new opening, bracing himself against the wall as he emerged…Bubbles and Buttercup flew over and each took one of his arms around them for support.

                "What happened to you?" Blossom asked. "Why did they lock you up like this?"

                "I was here at the station," he answered, "selling rare zirus gems, a stone unmatched in its beauty. The head of the Gyahembu himself purchased one from me, the largest and most expensive one I had. However, the fool tried to polish it to make it shine better…the substance he used on it ended up _dulling_ its shine permanently instead, marring the gem's quality greatly. He blamed _me_ for this, for not warning him of this danger."

                "And he threw you into prison for _that_?" Bubbles exclaimed.

                The alien nodded, "Yes…he claimed I cheated him, stole from him."

                "That's terrible," Blossom said. "Don't worry, you're safe now. Let's just get out of here before more guards show up."

                It was too late for that, though. As they turned towards the door, several more guards came into the room, all of them brandishing weapons…rifles of some sort. The one in the lead shouted, "_Aiylkdevaucfimizas_!" and raised its weapon.

                Blossom quickly asked Alyxk's brother, "Is there a level below us?"

                "Yes, why?" he said.

                Instead of answering, Blossom flew down at the ground and punched it, busting open a hole to the level below. All three of them flew down through the hole, taking the weakened alien with them, while a hail of laser fire shot by over their heads. They could hear one of the guards shout, "_Fissoaug_!" at them.

*              *              *

                The girls emerged into a darkened cargo area. There were large stacks of crates and racks of other smaller cases filling the room. The only light in the room came from a small set of dim white lamps in the corners. It was large enough that there were plenty of places to hide. Bubbles set the alien down and said, "What's your name?"

                "Ykrsk," he answered. "Once again, let me thank you for rescuing me…I only regret that this will now put you on the bad side of the Gyahembu."

                "That's okay, I don't think we'll be coming back to Paradise Fringe once we leave," Blossom said.

                Buttercup shushed everyone, "Shh…I hear someone…" As they listened, they heard the door to the cargo bay at the far end open up, and four guards entered. They fanned out, each of them taking a different direction.

                The girls and Ykrsk stayed behind a stack of boxes, watching them from a safe distance. They stayed quiet as one of them came close to their position. Gripping its rifle, it gazed around the area slowly, stopping in front of the stack of crates they were using for cover. It sniffed the air for a moment, then bared its teeth, turning towards their hiding place.

                Thinking quickly, Buttercup kicked the stack of crates, and they toppled forward. The guard raised its arms in alarm, but the crates slammed into it…collapsing to the ground, it was knocked cold, the rifle dropping from its hand and sliding across the ground.

                The other guards all heard the crash and turned around. Blossom shouted, "Plan Beta-Omicron-12…go!" The girls flew out , each heading for a different guard, flying low to the ground and weaving between the crates and racks. Ykrsk stayed behind cover, waiting until it was safe to come out.

                The guards tried to train their weapons on the girls, but they were moving far too quickly. All they could see were three brightly-colored blurs of light darting around. In the next instant, the girls each grabbed one of the guards by the foot, yanking them off their and lifting them into the air. As they dangled helplessly, the girls flew them to the center of the cargo bay, smashing them into each other. Unconscious, they dropped into a pile on the ground.

                "That wasn't so bad," Bubbles remarked.

                "It's probably just the start of them," Blossom said. "It's time to get out of here, before reinforcements show up. Where's Ykrsk?"

                Going through one of the fallen cargo crates nearby, Ykrsk withdrew a long roll of cloth, and said, "I'm right here." He wrapped some of the cloth around him like a robe, concealing his identity. Following his lead, the girls took smaller pieces of the same cloth and wrapped it around themselves the same way.

                "Hopefully now, we can move about undetected," Ykrsk said.

                "Yeah," Buttercup agreed. Then her eyes widened as something occurred to her. "Bloss…we'd better get back to Xianea. They might go after _her_…"

                Blossom frowned, "You're right. Especially that guy you bumped into…he could probably identify Xianea as someone travelling with us! We'd better get back there, fast! We'll have to walk, though, or else they'll see us flying and know it's us. C'mon!" She landed on the ground and ran for the cargo bay's exit. Buttercup and Bubbles followed her, helping Ykrsk along with them…

*              *              *

                Xianea stood beside one of the shops on the walkway, waiting patiently for the girls to return. She didn't like the idea of a fight, and would probably have protested trying to free the person in the first place, had it not been for two things…she needed the fuel cells, and she didn't exactly approve of the Gyahembu's methods anyway.

                Speaking of them, she noticed three of their guards heading in her direction. _Well, I should have guessed this would happen,_ she thought. _I'm sure after I explain everything, they'll…_ Her thoughts were interrupted when she realized they had their weapons out, probably planning to shoot first and ask questions later. She took a deep breath, and braced herself, thinking, _A Centraxian shall never purposefully raise a hand against another for any reason other than self-defense._ She knew these ideals well, and took them to heart above all else.

                One of the Gyahembu guards raised its rifle, and the crowd parted aside, scrambling for cover. Xianea glanced up momentarily, noting that the wide, open area of the walkway was _just_ large enough. As the guard opened fire, she leapt into the air to dodge the blast, spreading her wings. Gliding towards the nearest wall, she grabbed hold of a support beam and clung to the wall.

Surprised by this sudden move, the guard raised its rifle up to fire again, but Xianea had already pushed off from the wall, soaring down towards it. Her hands were outstretched, and a set of small metal claws sprouted from the ends of her fingers. With a loud *_shingg_* of metal against metal, she slashed its rifle in two, landing on the ground in front of it. The guard dropped what remained of his rifle in shock and turned around, running off in the opposite direction.

She straightened up again, folding her wings back into place behind her, and retracted her claws. _He'll be back,_ she thought,_ and with reinforcements. I hope the Powerpuff Girls return soon, we won't be safe here for much longer…_

No sooner had she thought this, but she saw four cloaked hurrying down the main walkway. Three of them were extremely short, like children. She smiled, and quickly moved over to meet them.

"Xianea!" Bubbles called out. "We got him!" Sure enough, the fourth cloaked figure did indeed look like the same species as Alyxk was.

"This is Ykrsk," Blossom introduced. "We, uh...we had a run in with the Gyahembu, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. I don't think they're happy about it, though."

"We should probably leave this station as soon as possible, then," Xianea suggested, starting towards the restaurant/bar. The others followed her, and she continued, "This was a big risk to take for our fuel cells. With the Gyahembu against us, we're going to find it hard to visit this sector of the galaxy ever again."

Buttercup smirked, "Big loss. This place is all right, but do you really wanna come back here again?"

"True," Xianea replied. They sat down at the table they had been to before. "Still, I would have preferred that it remain an option."

"Hey," Bubbles exclaimed, "while we're here, can we get another one of those ilyae roots? They were good!"

Xianea smiled, "Don't worry about it. While you were off on your 'mission', I purchased a few provisions for the trip to Centraxia. I included some ilyae roots, yes, but also a few other foods as well. I'm sure we can find something else you'll like."

At that moment, someone suddenly approached the table. They looked up in alarm, but sighed in relief as they saw it was Alyxk. He was carrying a small case with him, and fixed his gaze on his brother, "Ykrsk…I'm so glad they got to you in time."

"Yes, Alyxk...me too," Ykrsk said. "I don't know how much longer I would have lasted…"

Sliding the box across the table over to Xianea and the girls, Alyxk said, "Here are the fuel cells I promised you. But we owe you a debt of gratitude that we may never be able to repay. If we can ever assist you in the future, contact us anytime. We won't be difficult to find; we do business all over these sector."

"Thanks," Blossom said, reaching out to shake his hand. _Any friends we can make out here would be great,_ she thought…_This is our new life now, and we should make the best of it_.

Xianea examined the fuel cells, and nodded, satisfied. "Excellent! Girls...are you ready to resume our journey? We'd better hurry, before the Gyahembu find us."

Blossom nodded, and said, "Let's roll!" The three of them left the table, and started back for their ship. Ykrsk waved to them as they left, happy to taste freedom once again...

*              *              *

                From his position on the central module, Belfiust frowned as he watched the tiny ship depart from the station through the observation window. Without turning to look at his aide standing behind him, he said, "And those are the four that broke Ykrsk out of my prison?"

                "That's right, Boss," the aide answered him. "I'm afraid that they'll have gone into a singularity jump by the time we could scramble our fighters out there."

                Narrowing his eyes, Belfiust asked, "Who _are_ they?"

"One of them is a Centraxian named Xianea," the aide explained. "The other three are from a species we've not encountered before. Their names are Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup."

                Belfiust grunted slightly, and said, "New species? Hmm...what was your impression of them?"

                "They were quite powerful," the aide said. "Our men told of them being able to defy gravity, and attack with great strength...and yet, these were only children, it seems."

                "How could a planet with beings like that escape our notice?" Belfiust turned away from the window and faced him. "Ask around. Check all our contacts. We _must_ find where these 'children' come from. Their race could make a powerful ally. But in the meantime, we must deal with them, and the Centraxian. _No_ one defies the Gyahembu and lives!"

                The aide walked over to the door, saying, "I knew you would want to track them down, so I asked some of our 'experts' to join us." He pressed a button next to it, and the door slid open. Three figures entered the room. One of them, even in the shadows of the room, could be seen carrying all kinds of different weapons. Another wore armor, with spikes that gleamed a bright silver color. Towering behind them was a hulking metallic form.

                A smile crossed Belfiust's face. "You read my mind. Let's see how these powerful little 'children' fare against the three deadliest bounty hunters in the _galaxy_!" He turned back to the observation window, just in time to see their ship make the singularity jump. "Run if you will..." he taunted, "but you won't escape for long..."

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	5. Repository

****

GALACTIC UNITY

By: Mark J. Hadley

* * * * * * * * *

CHAPTER 5:

"Repository"

Bubbles emerged from the small waste disposal chamber on Xianea's ship. She looked green as she leaned dizzily against the bulkhead, trying to keep her balance. "I thought you said…these singlearity jumps…would get easier…"

"They will," Xianea said, from the ship's controls. "It'll just take some time."

Blossom and Buttercup were still seated in the passenger seats, but they didn't look too well, either. Buttercup mumbled, "How are you holding up, Red?"

"Me?" Blossom said, forcing a small smile, "I'm just great…never better…"

Buttercup grinned back, "It's almost time for breakfast. Whaddaya say we have a nice broiled ilyae root? Wish we were still on Earth, 'cause we could've had bacon, and eggs, and…" Blossom knew what Buttercup was trying to do…and unfortunately, it worked. She covered her mouth and flew out of the seat, soaring past Bubbles into the waste disposal chamber, while Buttercup stifled a laugh.

Bubbles floated over to her seat, and asked, "Xianea…how long before we reach your planet?"

"Not long," she answered. "We're passing through the outer reaches of Centraxian space now." The past few days had been a rather uneventful journey…they weren't yet in any heavily inhabited portion of the galaxy. Still, as uneventful as it was, the trip was still interesting, because the girls had shared stories with her about themselves and Earth. Xianea was pleased that the rumors about their planet were true, that it contained a wealth of information, history, and culture.

Blossom finally returned from the waste disposal chamber and sat down in her seat, glaring at Buttercup, who just smirked back. She gave up, and just sat back in her chair, saying, "Hey, could you tell us more about the Centraxians? We want to be as prepared as possible when we get there."

"Certainly," Xianea replied. "Long ago, our planet was dominated by a race of organics that, for one reason or another, decided to obliterate each other in a war. Most of the fighting was done using robots they had created, but eventually carried over into the population itself. One of the final acts of this war was the detonation of a number of nuclear-based devices…it ended up destroying them all, robot and organic alike."

"That's terrible…" Blossom remarked.

Xianea nodded, "Yes, but it hadn't destroyed them _completely_. Thankfully, there were still remnants of the robots across the planet, and plenty of single-celled organisms. We're not sure how, exactly, but somehow the radiation that was left behind from the nuclear devices caused a mutation in those cells. They fused with the metal and microchips of the robots, and amazingly, a 'natural' biomechanical cell was created."

"What do you mean?" Bubbles asked.

Xianea explained, "These cells provided all the same functions as a normal organic cell. It could grow, even divide into other cells. The cell itself, however, was completely mechanical, made of metal and silicon, and with programming instead of DNA. We believe the fragment of programming that was integrated with that first cell came from a recon program…information gathering. Which is why it's the driving force of our race today."

"But you look like a regular living thing," Buttercup said. "You don't really look like a robot at all…"

Xianea held out her arm, "Take a closer look. When you explained your powers to me yesterday, you girls mentioned that you have microscopic vision, correct?" Blossom nodded, and peered closely at Xianea's arm. As she looked, she saw that the cells were arranged and operated much like normal skin cells, but as she looked closer, she was amazed to see that the individual cells themselves were _indeed_ small mechanical constructs, almost like tiny robots.

"Many thousands of years passed from the formation of that first cell," Xianea continued. "The cells that followed grew and prospered across the planet. With the nuclear radiation that was left behind, they had an ample supply of energy to feed on. Eventually, they grew into what we are today."

"Amazing," Blossom said. "You actually evolved?"

"That's right," Xianea replied. "We had actually also evolved a number of abilities which greatly assisted our search for knowledge. One of the most important was our memories; everything we've ever learned is encoded into our 'genetic' programming, and passed on to our children. They aren't able to use much of it unassisted, but with the proper equipment, anyone can tap into this vault and view anything that their predecessors had learned."

"Wow," Bubbles said. "Wish _we_ could do that. We wouldn't hafta go to school."

"Yes, it is…'handy', as you would say," Xianea admitted. "It was then that we knew we could fulfill our potential and start searching for ultimate knowledge. To that end, we began setting out across the galaxy, gathering as much information as we could acquire, and compiling it all into one massive storage, the Repository of Knowledge."

A buzz from the control panel alerted her. She started working the controls again, and said, "We're approaching Centraxia. Prepare for deceleration." The girls got back in their seats and held their breaths. Xianea initiated another singularity, pulling the ship to a stop. Even though the breath was forced out of them again, they had been better prepared for it.

"That wasn't so bad this time, was it?" Buttercup remarked.

Blossom, though, was too engrossed by the view outside the cockpit to reply. The others looked as well, and were equally spellbound. The planet they were approaching gleamed brightly in the light of the system's sun…it looked like the entire surface was covered by city. Besides a few areas obscured by clouds, they could see towers extending up into the sky, even at this distance.

The ship slowly descended towards the planet, at the view kept getting even more amazing. The giant buildings, walkways, tunnels, and other structures covered the landscape entirely, and all of it a bright, shining silver. The ship approached one of the tall towers that stuck up above the clouds, which contained a landing platform at the top. It touched down gently.

"I don't believe it," Buttercup said, still gazing out of the window. "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen! It's all one giant city?"

"Yes," Xianea said, powering down the ship and getting up to head for the exit. "It took us almost a hundred years to build. That may not seem like a lot of time, but that's because we've learned advanced construction techniques from several other prosperous planets."

They emerged from the ship as she spoke, and stepped out onto the platform. It was wide, large enough for a hundred such ships, but they could still approach the edge and look out over the city far below. Or at least most of it, as there were a few clouds drifting by on one side that blocked their view in that direction. "I don't know what to say," Blossom said. "This is one impressive planet you have here."

Xianea smiled and said, "I think you'll find _that_ much more impressive." She pointed in the direction of the clouds, which had begun to drift clear of their view. The girls gasped as they saw what was revealed.

It was an absolutely massive building, in the shape of a diamond standing up on edge. They almost couldn't grasp the scale of it at this distance, until they could see by the clouds around it that it must be several miles tall. The outer surface was very shiny, almost like a mirror, reflecting the rays from Centraxia's sun. They were quite far from it, and it _still_ seemed to fill the sky.

"The Repository of Knowledge," Xianea said proudly. "Centraxia's greatest accomplishment. Everything we have ever learned is stored within, the combined knowledge of countless species across the galaxy…and it is added to, every day."

"Wow…" all three girls said, breathlessly.

Xianea started heading for a lift nearby, "We should proceed directly to the Repository. Everything you've told me about Earth needs to be entered, and you can also ask your question."

Blossom nodded firmly, "Right. Let's do it!" The four of them got onto the lift, which descended towards the grand city below. All three of the girls were excited…this was what they had been waiting for, and now it was finally coming to pass. They were finally getting their opportunity to find out if there was a way to save the Earth after all.

* * *

The Repository loomed overhead as they traveled the remaining distance through the city. They had taken several small transports to reach it, and were travelling the rest of the way on foot. Or rather, Xianea was; the girls just hovered close behind her.

The city was just as amazing up close. Thousands of other Centraxians went about their daily business. They looked a lot like Xianea, except with different markings, or features in slightly different shapes. Like Xianea, as well, they were all friendly. Even the occasional passerby on the street greeted the newcomers to their planet kindly. The girls also noticed that they needed no money to ride the transports, or to do anything else. This was almost a utopian society. Everyone lived and worked in total peace and harmony.

They reached the Repository at last. Several Centraxians, who were standing guard by the doors, glanced warily at the girls, then at Xianea, who nodded back to them. They stood aside and let them pass. Blossom thought their reaction was unusual…so far, it was the only non-friendly reaction anyone had given them here.

As they entered, she explained, "Outsiders are normally not allowed into the Repository." She thought for a moment, trying to come up with a parallel that they would understand, and said, "It's sort of like 'holy ground' to us. A Centraxian _can_ bring in visitors, but only if they can be trusted." She smiled, "And I am certain this is the case with you. You're very trustworthy."

"Don't worry," Bubbles said. "We'll be on our _best_ behavior."

Xianea nodded, and glanced about. The chamber they were walking through lead to another door, and she smiled, "It's not busy. We'll be able to just go right in. Are you ready?"

"We're ready," Buttercup responded. The other girls nodded as well.

"All right," Xianea said, opening the next door. The four of them entered into the main chamber of the Repository. Above them, stretching for a mile, was a large open space, and in the center of it floated a giant crystal…it was transparent and multi-colored, like a prism. It rotated slowly, and the method by which it was staying suspended in the air wasn't readily apparent to the girls.

While the girls just gaped, Xianea stepped forward into a small circle on the ground and stretched out her hands. She spoke something in Centraxian, "_J csjoh lopxmfehf pg qmbofu Fbsui…qmfbtf bee ju up uif Sfqptjupsz_." As she finished, a cone of energy beamed down on her from above, surrounding her with a white glow.

After a few moments, the beam stopped, and a deep voice boomed from around them, "_JOEPSNBUJPO TUPSFE_."

This startled the girls a little, but Xianea smiled, and stepped away from the circle. She motioned towards it, "The Repository will be able to understand you now. Please, step forward and ask your question."

The girls looked at each other. Buttercup said, "Go ahead, Bloss. It was your idea…"

Blossom nodded and stepped forward, into the circle. Looking up at the crystal, she felt a little overwhelmed by it, but she gathered herself and spoke, "Repository…our planet, Earth, was destroyed by a collision with a giant asteroid. Is there a way we can bring our planet back from destruction, as it was before the disaster?"

The voice boomed again, this time in English, "PROCESSING QUESTION." A few seconds passed, and it began to speak again, "GIVEN: PLANET DESTRUCTION BY CELESTIAL COLLISION, PLANET INHABITED BY LIVING CREATURES, PLANET RECONSTRUCTION DESIRED WITHOUT LOSS OF PLANETARY LIFE."

Blossom nodded, but didn't say anything. It paused for another few seconds and continued, "THERE IS INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A DEFINITIVE ANSWER. NO CONFIRMED METHOD EXISTS FOR THE REVERSAL OF AN EVENT OF THIS MAGNITUDE."

Blossom hung her head sadly, and the other girls did as well. Bubbles whispered softly, "At least…we tried…"

The voice continued, though, "ONE UNCONFIRMED METHOD EXISTS, CLASSIFIED AS LEGEND. CHANCE OF LEGEND'S EXISTANCE BASED ON CONFIRMED DATA IS FIFTY-TWO PERCENT. CHANCE OF RELIABILITY OF METHOD ASSUMING CONFIRMATION OF LEGEND IS NINETY-EIGHT PERCENT."

__

What? Blossom thought. _There's some kind of legend? Well, at least a legend is better than nothing…and it still might be the solution to our problem!_ "Repository," she called out. "What is this legend?"

"THE OMEGA PARTICLE," the voice replied. "THE LEGEND DESCRIBES THAT A POWERFUL OBJECT CALLED THE OMEGA STONE WAS CREATED BY AN ANCIENT GALACTIC RACE. IT HELD THE POWER TO SHAPE THE UNIVERSE HOWEVER THE POSSESSOR WISHED. EACH WISH THAT WAS MADE UPON IT CAUSED THE STONE TO BECOME SMALLER, UNTIL FINALLY AFTER THOUSANDS OF SUCH WISHES, THE STONE HAD BEEN REDUCED TO THE SIZE OF A MERE PARTICLE, WITH ONLY A SINGLE USE REMAINING."

The four of them listened with interest as the voice continued the story, "NOT WANTING TO SQUANDER THE FINAL WISH, AS THEY HAD FOOLISHLY SQUANDERED THE PREVIOUS ONES, THE ANCIENT RACE TOOK THE OMEGA PARTICLE AND HID IT SOMEWHERE ONLY THEY KNEW OF. UNFORTUNATELY, THE LAST OF THEIR RACE SUPPOSEDLY DIED OUT LONG AGO, WITHOUT REVEALING THE PARTICLE'S LOCATION."

"So then," Blossom asked, "How could we ever find it?"

"IT REMAINS POSSIBLE THAT A WAY TO DISCOVER THIS LOCATION EXISTS," the voice answered. "MANY STORIES, RUMORS AND LEGENDS EXIST ABOUT THE OMEGA PARTICLE, AND THEY MAY CONTAIN CLUES TO ITS WHEREABOUTS. SUGGESTED STARTING POINT: THE HKRATTH LIBRARY ON THE HKRATTH HOMEWORLD. ONE OF THE ORIGINAL CREATORS OF THE OMEGA STONE LEFT A JOURNAL THERE, BUT THE TERRITORIAL NATURE OF THE HKRATTH PREVENTED THE ACQUISITION OF THE DATA WITHIN THE LIBRARY BY THIS REPOSITORY."

Blossom smiled, and said, "Thank you!" She stepped back off of the circle and flew over to the other girls, who seemed just as excited as she felt. "Do you know what this means?!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Buttercup answered. "If we find this Omega Particle, we can bring the Earth back! Who _cares_ if we gotta look all over the place to find it? It's worth it!"

"So let's go!" Bubbles said. "To this…hhhk…hkr…"

Blossom helped, "Hkratth Library?"

"Yes! To the Hkratthhhh Library," Bubbles sputtered.

As they walked out of the main chamber of the Repository, Xianea said, "I'm happy that you've found a possible solution to your problem. Hopefully, the legend will turn out to be true. Well, whatever the case, I wish you luck on your journey, wherever it may take you…"

"What?" Buttercup said. "Aren't you coming _with_ us?"

"No…I must continued my studies here on Centraxia," Xianea replied. "I still have much data to analyze."

"But…we don't have a ship," Bubbles said. "We don't even know how to _fly_ a ship…"

"Yes, and besides," Blossom added, "don't you want to get all the stuff that's in the Hkratth Library? I'm sure it'd make a great addition to the Repository…"

"Hmm…" Xianea said, thoughtfully. "That it would…it's something we've been trying to obtain for years. They don't like outsiders in their boundaries, so we've had no luck so far. But…if you somehow manage to make it there, it _would_ yield a _substantial_ amount of data." She nodded, "All right, you've convinced me. I'll help you out however I can."

"Yay!" the girls said together, all three of them hugging Xianea…she was surprised a little by this, but then smiled again. She walked the rest of the way out of the Repository, carrying the girls with her…

* * *

Back on the ship, the girls waited for Xianea, who walked in carrying a box filled with small devices and other objects. "I've gathered the supplies we need," she said. "We can begin our trip now."

Blossom flew up to get a better look inside the box, and asked, "What are those?"

"A few things to help you out," Xianea explained. Setting the box down, she lifted three small cylindrical objects out. "I'm going to attach these to your spacesuits. They're air recyclers…they'll be able to take the carbon dioxide you breathe out and convert it back into oxygen for you, effectively giving your suits an unlimited air supply…at least, as long as the twenty-year power supply for the device holds out."

"That's great!" Buttercup said. "What else?"

She pulled six tiny object out of the box…each was smaller than a dime. She handed two to each one of them, and said, "These are translation devices. Put one inside each of your ears. They'll allow you to understand and speak any language."

Blossom and Buttercup carefully pushed their hair aside and put the devices into place. Bubbles, though, handed them back to Xianea and said, "That's all right, I don't need them…"

"Of course, I'm sorry…I forgot," Xianea said, smiling. She unloaded the rest of the box, "More food for the trip. I admit, such food is scarce on Centraxia, but we've had some imported from other worlds for any visitors that come here."

"Great…it looks like we're all set, then!" Blossom said.

Xianea headed over to the ship controls and said, "Indeed…let's go. We'll have a number of checkpoint stations to pass before we reach the Hkratth homeworld, but it shouldn't be too long of a trip. Ready?"

The girls finished attaching the air recyclers to their spacesuits, and quickly flew back to their seats, "All set!" Bubbles said.

Xianea nodded, and initiated the launch sequence. The ship lifted off from the platform and soared up into the sky. The girls gave one last look at the Repository of Knowledge before the ship cleared the atmosphere and initiated a singularity jump, starting on its way towards the heart of the galaxy…

**__**

TO BE CONTINUED…


	6. Checkpoint

****

GALACTIC UNITY

By: Mark J. Hadley

* * * * * * * * *

CHAPTER 6:

"Checkpoint"

"What..._is_ it?" Bubbles said, looking down at the horrifying thing in front of her.

"I don't know," Buttercup said, "but it can't be good...I say we avoid it at all costs..."

Blossom set a firm expression and declared, "I'm goin' for it. Wish me luck."

"Be careful!" Bubbles warned.

Blossom slowly lowered her utensil towards the plate of food in front of her. The strange, vine-like thing on the plate was all coiled up, and had a bright fluorescent green color. It was covered with dozens of tiny stalks along its surface. She pulled a small piece off of it, and as she lifted it up, it was still attached by a long, stretchy substance, like melted cheese, except green and translucent.

"Ewww!" Bubbles exclaimed, cringing at the sight of it.

Buttercup stuck her tongue out in disgust, "Man, that's nasty..."

"Now, come on, girls," Blossom said. "Xianea worked hard to prepare this...the least we can do is try it. I'll bet it tastes a lot better than it looks." With that, she raised it towards her mouth and took a bite.

The girls waited for a reaction. Blossom held the bite in her cheeks, barely chewing it…her eyes watered a little bit, and then clenched shut. Buttercup said, "Uh...Bloss?"

Blossom managed to speak, her mouth almost stuck shut from the gooey green substance, "It...looks...a lot better...that it tastes..."

Xianea walked into the small chamber of the ship where they were eating. She noticed Blossom struggling with the food and said, "Er...you should swallow that." Blossom shook her head, but Xianea insisted, "Trust me."

With some effort, Blossom managed to swallow the bite she had taken. When she did, she smiled, "Hey, that was really good!"

Bubbles and Buttercup looked at her, completely mystified. "What?" Buttercup said. "A second ago, you thought it was terrible!"

"I did?" Blossom asked, looking perplexed.

"I should explain," Xianea said. "That was chakro vine you just ate. It's sort of an oddity. Most organics _do_ find it to be quite distasteful, but it contains an enzyme that acts immediately when ingested. It stimulates the memory cells, modifying the memory of its own taste and tricking the person into thinking that it tasted _good_."

"Whoa, that _is_ weird," Buttercup said. Turning to Blossom, she asked, "You don't remember how bad it tasted? You said it tasted worse than it looks!"

Blossom shook her head, "I _do_ vaguely remember _saying_ that, but not _thinking_ it...it can't be _that_ bad, can it?" She lifted another bite of the food up and ate it. The moment she did, she grimaced, and sputtered, "Mppth! Ack!...geez, it's _worse_ than...bleeech!!" She forced herself to swallow it, though, and immediately licked her lips and started reaching for another bite.

Bubbles giggled a little, "This is fun to watch."

Xianea started to walk out of the chamber and said, "You two should finish eating as well. We're almost to the checkpoint station."

Buttercup and Bubbles looked down at the chakro vine, and Buttercup shrugged, "Ah well, as long as we won't remember it anyway," and picked up her utensil. Xianea watched them beginning to eat, and smiled to herself. _Considering all they've been through_, she thought, _they really seem happier now. I'm so glad I could help them out…_

* * *

Xianea pointed out the cockpit and said, "There it is...Checkpoint 37." The ship was heading towards a large hexagonal station. At each of the six corners of the station, a beam of red energy extended off into space. In the center of the hexagon was a large docking port that went clear through the center and out the other side.

Blossom asked, "What are those beams for?"

"Those are to scan the surrounding region for ships that attempt to bypass the checkpoint," Xianea explained. "Anything that passes by this way has to land in the central docking bay for clearance. After being cleared, they are allowed to pass through the opposite side of the station."

"It's kinda big, though," Bubbles remarked. "What else is there?"

Xianea started moving the ship into docking position and said, "Sometimes the clearance process takes time, so there are restaurants and shops and so forth at the station, and even places to sleep. It's a lot more of a controlled environment than Paradise Fringe was, though."

The communications panel activated, and a mechanized voice announced, "Centraxian vessel, you are cleared for landing at docking bay nine. All occupants must proceed to the check-in station upon arrival. Standard inspection procedures on the ship and crew will follow." The message concluded, and a gold beam of energy locked onto the ship, guiding it down to the landing pad.

"What do we need to do?" Buttercup asked.

"Just stay close, and answer any questions the Galactic Monitors ask you," Xianea said. The girls nodded. A moment later, there was the softest of bumps as the ship docked with the station. "Let's go," Xianea said, and the four of them got up, heading for the ship exit...

* * *

There were a large number of aliens lined up in front of the inspection terminals leading further into the station. It was similar to the spectacle at Paradise Fringe, except people weren't hiding in shadows _here_. The line moved quickly...Xianea and the girls approached the terminal after only about ten minutes of waiting.

Two large robots were at the terminal. They were mostly featureless, with rounded green armor plating and a small head set with a single wide optic sensor, glowing with a red light. The top part of their arms and legs were fairly small, but the forearms and lower legs were large and thick. Small hatches in the arms hinted at a variety of hidden tools...or weapons.

"They look pretty tough," Buttercup whispered to Blossom.

"Xianea said they were built to enforce galactic law all by themselves," Blossom whispered back, "so they're probably as strong as they look."

Xianea stepped up to the terminal first. One of the Galactic Monitors, with a large 622 printed on its shoulders, stepped forward and spoke in a deep mechanical voice, "State your name and world of origin."

She answered, "Xianea. Centraxia."

The other Monitor, with a 481 printed on _its_ shoulders, had a radar-like device sticking out of one of the hatches on its left arm. It scanned Xianea with it, then motioned for her to pass through. Xianea stepped past them and waited on the other end of the terminal.

As the girls stepped forward, Monitor 622 said to them, "State your names and worlds of origin."

Blossom spoke up, "Blossom. This is Bubbles and Buttercup. We're from Earth."

Monitor 481 had just completed scanning them, and said, "Planet Earth is not on record. Please state the identification number of the planet." Xianea, on the other end of the terminal, gave a worried look...she obviously wasn't expecting this, and probably thought Earth existed in their records.

"Uh, I don't think Earth _has_ an identification number..." Blossom explained.

Monitor 622 pointed in the direction of a lift off to the side of the terminal and said, "Proceed to new species classification immediately." The girls glanced at Xianea. She looked back at them and held her hands out at her sides in an expression of helplessness. It looked like they had no choice.

The girls floated over to the lift slowly and entered it. As it carried them up to another portion of the station, Buttercup said, "Great, just our luck, they've never heard of Earth."

"It's okay…I'm sure this happens a lot," Blossom said. "After all, we can't be the _first_ new species to come along. They'll probably put us through some tests to find out more about us."

"What kind of tests?" Bubbles asked. "There won't be any needles, will there? I don't like needles…"

"Don't be silly, Bubbles," Blossom replied. "They're probably just going to ask us a bunch of questions."

The lift slowed to a stop, and they flew out from it. The room they entered had two more Galactic Monitors, numbered 71 and 680. There were several examination tales nearby, and Blossom cringed a little, thinking, _Maybe I was wrong…_

Monitor 680 was reading data on a screen, and said, "A new entry has been created for this planet in the records. Identification number E-371977-A1 has been assigned."

"More data is required to complete the entry," Monitor 71 stated. "You planet is called Earth, correct?"

Buttercup said, "Sort of…see, Earth was destroyed a while ago by a…"

"A simple yes or no will suffice," Monitor 71 interrupted.

Scratching her head, Buttercup said, "Well…yes, but…"

Before Buttercup had a chance to finish what she was saying, Monitor 680 stepped over next to 71 and said to them, "State the preferred name of your species."

Blossom said, "We're human, but we're not really _typical_…"

"Species record 'Human' has been added," Monitor 680 interrupted. "Proceed to examination tables for physical data acquisition."

Bubbles murmured under her breath, "You coulda at least said 'please'…" She folded her arms and drifted over to one of the tables, lying down on it. Blossom and Bubbles did the same. As they did, the Monitors went over to a computer panel on the wall and pressed a few buttons.

Restraints immediately snapped out from the table, holding down their arms and legs. This took them by surprise…they struggled a little bit, and Buttercup exclaimed, "Hey, what gives?" The Monitors didn't answer; they were too busy at the computer panels.

Bubbles' table tilted forward, bringing her up to a forty-five-degree angle. A large device descended from the ceiling, aiming at her. It tapered to a point, and had about twenty small needle-like projections encircling it. Monitor 680 said, "Now initiating physical data acquisition."

Bubbles looked frightened, and stammered, "It-it's not g-gonna hurt, is it?"

Neither Monitor answered. Blossom craned her head to one side, just barely able to see what was going on, and thought, _I guess they weren't programmed for social graces. I hope, for Bubbles' sake, they were at least programmed to take people's comfort into account…_

The device moved over, getting closer to the top part of the table and aiming for Bubbles' head. Electricity started arcing between the needle projections. Bubbles cringed and clenched her eyes shut, shaking. A moment later, though, the device stopped it's approach. A beam of green energy shot out, surrounding her head like a spotlight. She opened her eyes curiously…whatever the beam was doing, she couldn't feel it.

As she watched, the device lowered down slowly, moving completely across her. She breathed a sigh of relief…it was just a scan. Blossom and Buttercup's tables both inclined, and the device moved over to their tables to scan _them_ as well.

"Heh," Buttercup said. "That wasn't so bad. Just a quick scan, and we're out!"

Blossom smiled, "Yeah…they really had me worried there for a minute…."

Monitor 71 said, "Surface scan completed. Species is classified as standard organic. Proceeding with organic DNA sample acquisition." The scanning device went back into the ceiling, and three robotic arms came down to take their place, one heading for each table. They were tipped with a needle and vial, like something used to draw blood.

Blossom and Buttercup both paled…they didn't like needles any more than Bubbles did. "Now, hold on a second…" Buttercup protested, but the Monitors didn't listen. As the needles descended towards their arms, all three of the girls screamed together, "_Aaaaaaaah_!"

* * *

Xianea waited in the checkpoint station's main hall for the Powerpuff Girls to return. She hadn't considered the possibility that the Galactic Monitors had no record of Earth. After all, the Centraxians knew about it. Only vaguely, but they still were _aware_ of it.

At least this gave her some time to observe some of the species passing through the station. As she did, she caught sight of a familiar face. It was Alyxk; he was just emerging from a checkpoint terminal. Xianea waved to him, and he caught sight of her. Walking over, his telepathic message buzzed, "Ah! Good to see you again, Xianea."

"You as well, Alyxk," Xianea said. "Where is Ykrsk?"

Alyxk pointed deeper into the station and replied, "He's gone through the checkpoint already…he's ahead, preparing the ship." Looking back to Xianea, he said, "How did your trip back to Centraxia go?"

Xianea was momentarily confused, "How did you know about _that_?"

Grinning slightly, Alyxk said, "Well, I _am_ telepathic, you know. You were just thinking about it."

"Oh, of course, I almost forgot," Xianea said sheepishly. "Well, the trip went well. Right now, I'm taking the girls to Hkratth space."

"Really…isn't that dangerous?" he wondered. "Especially with what's going on in that region right now…"

"Why, what's wrong?" Xianea asked.

"A couple of days ago, the Hkratth broke out in yet _another_ territorial dispute with the Sanhreni," Alyxk told her. "I'd recommend staying clear of that side of Hkratth space, because those two are nearly at _war_ this time."

Xianea knew of the Sanhreni; their planets were very close to the Hkratth's borders. They had fought over territories before, and there had been some violence in the past, but a lot of people figured it might break out into war one day. The Galactic Monitors never interfered with these struggles…although they could handle small problems, a war would require much larger intervention. "Thank you for the information. We'll be sure to stay clear of that area."

"I'm glad I could help," Alyxk replied. "I have to get to my ship now, we're just about ready to depart. Have a safe voyage!" He waved, and started off towards the doors leading for his ship. Xianea waved back. _I'm glad we helped him out back on Paradise Fringe,_ she thought. _An informant in this area is most helpful. If we had stumbled into that war by accident, we could have been in serious danger…_

The doors to one of the lifts off to the side opened, and the Powerpuff Girls hovered out from it, followed by a Monitor, numbered 682. The girls were each clutching their shoulders, and they didn't look very happy at all.

Concerned, Xianea walked over and said, "I apologize. I thought that…"

"Don't worry about it, Xianea," Blossom said, waving it off, "It wasn't your fault, you didn't know."

"Yeah," Buttercup said. "At least we got this whole exam thing out of the way. We won't have to go through _that_ ever again."

Xianea nodded. She cast a glance at Monitor 682 and asked, "Er…why are you being escorted?"

Blossom smiled slightly and said, "Heh…well, apparently we've been classified as 'potentially dangerous', because of our powers. Right, 682?"

Monitor 682 spoke, "The Humans named Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup represent a potential threat to galactic peace and security on account of the extremely powerful natural abilities they possess. Until such time as they demonstrate that their actions can be trusted, this unit is assigned to observe them."

"At least he'll be travelling in his own ship," Blossom said. "I don't know about you, Xianea, but I'm about ready to leave, what do you think?"

"I agree," Xianea said, nodding. The four of them started heading in the direction of the outbound docks, Monitor 682 sticking close behind them. Xianea noticed that Bubbles was still clutching her arm, and asked, "Are you all right?"

Bubbles shook her head, "I don't like needles…" She still had a few tears rolling down her cheek.

"It'll be all right," Xianea told her, gently brushing her finger against Bubbles' cheek, wiping her tears away. "I have a salve back at the ship that I can put on your arm. It'll help sooth the muscle pain. You'll be good as new in no time, you'll see."

Bubbles sniffed, and smiled, "Thank you. You've done so much for us…why?"

"I don't know," Xianea confessed. "I guess…I just felt there was something special about you three. It was something I felt even when we first met, and I knew I had to help you in any way that I could."

Before Bubbles could say something in return, they had reached the doors. Monitor 682 declared, "You will board your ship and leave the station only when this unit has given you clearance." It stomped off towards another door, undoubtedly leading to its own ship.

Bubbles gave Xianea a silent glance, but she didn't _need_ to say anything…her expression told her how she felt. She flew on ahead through the door, entering the ship. Xianea smiled happily, and stepped into the ship as well. _In all of my travels_, she thought, _I can't recall any place I'd rather be than right here, helping these girls in their time of need…_

**__**

TO BE CONTINUED…


	7. Hunted

****

GALACTIC UNITY

By: Mark J. Hadley

* * * * * * * * *

CHAPTER 7:

"Hunted"

"…and this controls your maneuvering thrusters," Xianea said, indicating a small device with a handgrip on the ship's console. Blossom nodded, putting her hand on the control and getting a feel for it. Xianea continued, "You can slide it in any of the four directions to propel the ship that way, or lift it higher or lower for up and down thrust. Twisting the control in a direction will start a turn."

"Okay, I think I've got it it," Blossom said. She was a little nervous about this, but didn't want to show it. This was, after all, her first time flying a spaceship. Xianea had brought the ship to a stop out in the middle of deep space so that she could give her this lesson. Blossom noticed a few buttons on the thruster controls and asked, "What do these do?"

"Those are for special functions," Xianea explained. "The green button is for fine thruster control, for when precision is needed, like in docking operations. The red one is for emergency maneuvers, and allows for much faster turns."

"All right…" Blossom said. "What now?"

Xianea pointed to a lever on the left, "This controls your main engines. Sliding it forward or backward changes the amount of power they're outputting." She glanced out of the cockpit window and said, "Go ahead and try it. Don't worry; we won't crash into anything out here."

Blossom took a deep breath, and put her hand on the engine control. She slid it forward carefully, just a little bit, and the ship began moving forward. Blossom moved the thruster controls a little bit, and the ship made a few small turns. She smiled and exclaimed, "Hey, I'm doing it!"

"Keep it up, you're doing great," Xianea said, smiling as well. She watched Blossom work the flight controls and said, "You're catching on very quickly…it must be all of your previous 'flight' experience."

Blossom rolled the control to the right, and the stars outside rotated clockwise as the ship rolled. "You're right, it _is_ kinda like our flying," she remarked. "A little more sluggish, but it's similar. This is great!"

"Once you get the hang of moving around, I can show you some of the other functions of the ship," Xianea said. "That was a good enough lesson for today." She took a glance out of the cockpit and saw that Monitor 682's ship was still nearby, observing them. It was a small ship…it looked barely large enough to hold the Monitor itself, but they were still quite powerful. Hopefully, 682 understood that this was just a flying lesson and not any other suspicious activity. 

"Okay!" Blossom said, climbing out of the seat and letting Xianea take the controls again. "Thanks again for teaching me…the more skills I know to get by out here, the more helpful I can be."

"I'm glad you're taking such an interest," Xianea told her. "At the rate _you're_ going, you'll probably be quite familiar with the controls by the time we reach Hkratth space. We're still several days away and…" She trailed off, as she noticed Blossom was staring out of the cockpit, with a contemplative look on her face. "What's the matter?"

"I was just thinking," Blossom said. "Today makes a whole week since we first met you…since the Earth was destroyed. It still seems like only yesterday…but at the same time, so much has happened since then."

"But you still miss your world…" Xianea said.

Blossom nodded, "It's strange. Part of me knows that we'll see the Earth again, but another part is wondering if we really will or not. What if this Omega Particle is just a legend? What if it doesn't really exist? What if the Earth is gone for good?"

Xianea stayed quiet for a moment, then said, "You must be ready to accept that possibility if it comes to it. But you can't lose hope, either. I know how you _really_ feel about it…if there's even the _smallest_ possibility that this Omega Particle exists, you'd look for it, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, I…I would…" Blossom agreed.

Xianea smiled, "I can tell that your friends on Earth mean a lot to you, Blossom. Have courage, and we can see this through."

Blossom smiled back…but only for a moment, because in the next, the ship shook, like something had struck it. She exclaimed, "What was _that_?"

Xianea's hands were already flying over the controls. She said, "Another ship just dropped in, and it's opening fire on us…"

"What? Who is it?" Blossom asked.

"I don't' know…" Xianea was worried. "We're going to have to evade them; Centraxian ships aren't equipped with weapons like most other ships, only protective shields."

The ship shook again from another blast. Bubbles and Buttercup came through the door at that moment, and Buttercup shouted, "What's going on? Are we under attack?"

The alien vessel that was attacking them flew by the front of the ship. Unlike Xianea's ship, this one was obviously equipped for battle. It was slightly smaller than theirs, and had a set of wings on the sides that were swept forward, and lined with weapon ports. It looped around once and flew back directly towards them, a hail of bright gold energy blasts firing at them. Xianea immediately dove the ship forward, flying under the blasts.

A small communications screen on the instrument panel lit up. A vaguely humanoid figure appeared on it. His skin was a golden tan color…his head was bald, and his eyes looked like they were solid black. That was all they could see of him, though, because a metal mask covered the lower half of his face, and they could see that it was part of a larger suit of armor he was wearing.

His voice hissed, "Yes…I knew you would be here. The Centraxian and the three Earthlings."

"What is the meaning of this attack?" Xianea asked. "We have done nothing to provoke it…"

"Oh, but you have," he answered. "Those that dare to act against the Gyahembu must face the consequences!"

Blossom exclaimed, "The Gyahembu?! You're working with them?"

"That's right," the man declared, "and I plan to collect the bounty they've put upon you. Don't think you can escape me…I, Sorvat, am the greatest pilot in this sector of the galaxy!"

The image on the screen suddenly moved over as another image came on, that of Monitor 682. It said, "This is an unsanctioned use of weaponry. You will cease firing immediately, or be destroyed."

"Hahaha!" Sorvat laughed. "Your little custodian there won't be able to protect you!" With that, the image disappeared from the screen, and Sorvat's ship began another attack run on them. Xianea immediately switched to full speed, and flew out of the way of the next volley of blasts.

"This is not good," Xianea shouted, gritting her teeth. "Sorvat has us outgunned, and his ship is faster and more maneuverable than ours. I can only evade him for so long…"

"At least that Monitor guy is on our side," Bubbles said. Sure enough, outside the ship, they could see Monitor 682's tiny vessel move to intercept Sorvat, taking shots at him with a very powerful-looking beam cannon. Sorvat was indeed skilled, though, and easily wove between the beams, untouched.

"Can't we just get _outta_ here?" Buttercup asked. "Make with the singularity jump!"

Xianea frowned at the status panel, "I can't. The first hit damaged the singularity generator. The self-repair systems are working on fixing it, but it'll take time. Until then, we're stuck here."

In the meantime, Monitor 682's ship was being struck repeatedly by blasts from Sorvat. A normal ship would probably have been crushed, but the heavily armored Monitor ship was holding out. Large scorch marks were covering its surface, however.

After a few more such passes, the communication screen lit up again with 682's image, and he spoke, "This unit requires your assistance in apprehending the criminal Sorvat."

"We can't…we don't have any weapons on board," Xianea replied.

Blossom smiled slightly and said, "Yes we do…c'mon, girls!" She flew out from the cockpit. Bubbles and Buttercup looked at each other, confused, but followed her anyway. After going down the length of the ship, they found her in the airlock, putting on her spacesuit.

Buttercup grinned, "_Now_ I get it! Good thinking!" She and Bubbles got into their own spacesuits, and the three of them quickly got into position. Blossom hit a few buttons on the airlock controls, opening the outer door of the ship. The girls quickly flew out into space…

* * *

Sorvat grinned from behind his metal mask. So far, the Galactic Monitor's ship hadn't even come _close_ to hitting him yet. It may be powerful and highly advanced, but it was _no_ match for his superior piloting skills. He could see that the other ship was just floating there…after he finished the Monitor, he would take care of them. "A few more passes," he said aloud, "and they'll have no one left to protect them."

As he approached into another firing run at the Monitor, his radar picked up three incoming objects, launched from the Centraxian ship. They were small…perhaps missiles. This surprised him; he thought that Centraxian ships were unarmed…

He was about to take an evasive maneuver when the 'missiles' came into view in front of his ship. They weren't missiles after all, but the three Earthlings, wearing spacesuits. He smirked…what did they think they were trying to do? Now they were easy targets. He declared, "Time to die, Earthlings!" and opened fire on them.

He was shocked when the three of them sped off in separate directions, much faster than they had flown out here. His energy blasts went off harmlessly into space. Gritting his teeth, he started to turn the ship around, to get on their tail, but all three of them were already behind him, on _his_ tail.

"But…how do they move so fast?" he shouted. Narrowing his eyes, he quickly pulled an emergency turn. His ship swung around almost in an instant, now facing the girls once again. Hoping he got the surprise on him, he launched one of his missiles.

The two on the end—Blossom and Bubbles—ducked out of the way, but the third one, Buttercup, stayed where she was. The missile sped towards her, and at the last instant, she ducked underneath it, grabbing hold of the side and stopping it in place.

"Huh? Impossible!" Sorvat exclaimed. As he watched in disbelief, Buttercup swiveled the missile around so that it was facing towards him, and released it. The missile shot directly at him, and he quickly rolled the ship to one side, narrowly avoiding a collision with it.

"So," he said, "the rumors of their great power were true. No matter…I will still be able to finish them!" With that, he kicked in the ship's boosters and flew after them again. He still had a trick or two left in him…

* * *

"Good move, Buttercup!" Blossom shouted. "Keep you're eyes open, though…he's on his way back!"

Buttercup nodded and went into a battle-ready pose. She'd be prepared if he tried to launch any more of those missiles. "Allright, let's see what you've got," she said.

Sorvat's vessel looped around and came at her again. This time, it was weaving back and forth in a strange pattern. As it did so, it started firing its weapons…the golden energy blasts fanned outwards, none of them heading directly towards Buttercup, but all of them moving noticeably slower than his previous shots. This confused her for a moment, but then Blossom yelled, "Look out, Buttercup, it's a trap!"

After a moment, the ship suddenly burst forward, stopping its weaving motion and firing its weapons directly at Buttercup. A quick glance suddenly made her realize that the blasts he had fired earlier were just now passing her on the sides, leaving no place to dodge the ones coming at her…

She made a snap decision, and flew _away_ from the blasts. She didn't have a hope of outrunning them, since they were moving faster than she was, but it gave her a few extra seconds to gain some distance. The slower blasts couldn't keep up, and she had _just_ enough of a lead on them to throw herself to one side before the faster ones could hit her. With only a moment to spare, she continued in that direction and dashed quickly out of the path of the slower blasts before they caught up.

"That was close!" Bubbles said, watching this whole display.

Blossom nodded, "Yes, _too_ close…we have to make sure we don't slip up around this guy." She looked around for anything they could use to help them in the fight. The Monitor's ship was nearby, but it was barely able to keep flying, let alone fight. Xianea's ship was nearby, also motionless. There wasn't anything else in range, not even any asteroids, because of the area Xianea chose for her piloting lessons.

She wished silently that they could use their eyebeams in this fight, but the professor had made the visors on their suits only strong enough to allow a weak blast to pass through them, about the same power as a welding torch. Anything stronger would probably melt the visor off, which would have some unpleasant consequences.

__

No, she thought, _if we're going to do this, we're going to have to get in close enough for a physical attack._ "Girls!" she said quickly. "Plan Beta-Sigma-4, now! It should still work in zero gravity!" Bubbles and Buttercup nodded, and the three of them flew back towards each other, regrouping.

Sorvat's ship circled around for another attack run on them. As he approached, the girls flew towards him, circling around in a spiral pattern. Just before they reached him, they split off into three directions outward, and came to a complete stop. Sorvat's ship continued moving forward, and before he could react, it passed directly between them. Blossom and Buttercup each grabbed hold of one of its wings, slamming the ship to a halt.

This gave Bubbles enough time to fly down from above, slamming both feet into the top of the ship. The impact knocked the ship downwards, ripping the wings clear off of it since the other girls were still holding on to them. The remainder of the ship could do nothing but float there, disabled.

The hatch popped open, and Sorvat emerged…he was wearing heavy, spiked armor and carrying a large laser rifle. A transparent helmet was now fixed over his head. He growled, "I'm not through _yet_!"

"Wanna bet?" Buttercup smirked, pointing off to one side. Monitor 682's ship had made it over, and its weapons were trained on Sorvat. The tiny vessel may not have been combat-ready anymore, but it was still dangerous enough to a single person floating in space. Sorvat blinked a few times, and released his rifle, holding his hands up in surrender.

Over everyone's communications, Monitor 682 spoke, "Sorvat, you are under arrest for unsanctioned use of weaponry within controlled galactic space, and assault on a Galactic Monitor." A small, greenish beam of energy shone out at him from the ship, surrounding him with a protective field and taking him into tow.

"Thanks, 682!" Bubbles called out.

"Your assistance in the criminal Sorvat's apprehension is appreciated by this unit," Monitor 682 told them. "You have displayed adequate proof of your alignment with galactic law. The decision has been made to release you from observation."

"Great! Thanks again!" Blossom exclaimed. "C'mon, let's get back to the ship…" As Monitor 682's vessel began to fly away, towing Sorvat behind him, they returned to Xianea's ship and entered the airlock. The door sealed behind them, and the airlock filled with air once again.

Buttercup took her helmet off and said, "That was great! I _needed_ a good workout…"

"Yeah, but this is still bad news," Blossom said, removing her own helmet. "If the Gyahembu put a bounty on us, then we probably haven't seen the last of these guys."

"Bring 'em on," Buttercup said. "I ain't afraid!"

They removed their spacesuits, and went back into the ship. Xianea was waiting for them, and asked, "Are you three all right?"

"We're okay," Bubbles said. "That wasn't _too_ bad."

"He was pretty skilled, but we've had worse than him," Blossom told her.

Xianea looked relieved, "That's good. I think we got lucky though…Sorvat _is_ known as one of the deadliest pilots in this area. I guess he's never fought anything as small and maneuverable as _you_ before, though."

"How long 'till the singularity thing is fixed?" Buttercup asked.

"Not much longer," Xianea replied. "We should be underway within the hour. You know...I think it might be a good idea if we keep a low profile from here on in. If the Gyahembu are looking for us, we should make it as hard as possible for them to find us."

"Right," Blossom agreed. "They know they're looking for a Centraxian traveling with three Earthlings. We each should get a disguise, or at the very least, an alias."

"That's a good idea," Xianea said. "Centraxians are fairly rare in these inhabited sections of space, so I'll wear the disguise. Not many people know Earthlings, so you can just go by different names. We should sort this all out right now, since we have the time..."

All three girls said, "Okay!" and followed Xianea back towards the front of the ship. Blossom thought, _At least the Galactic Monitors trust us now...but if we have to fight off the Gyahembu along the way, this'll be a lot tougher than I thought...and we still have the Hkratth to deal with. I wish the professor was here; he'd know what to do..._

**__**

TO BE CONTINUED...


	8. Territory

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

CHAPTER 8:

"Territory"

The Adarian Trading Post was built on the surface of a small asteroid.  Several large docking platforms extended out from the central station, providing ample space for the heavy traffic of ships that passed through the region.  One of the ships already docked at the station was a Centraxian ship, undergoing a few small cosmetic repairs from the battle it had been through while its crew visited the station.

Inside, at a combination café/cantina called "Tralh's", Xianea and the girls sat at a table, finishing a meal.  Xianea was wearing something across the surface of her skin that had changed its color to a deep green instead of its usual greyish-silver.  She was also wearing a few other prosthetic enhancements that changed her features somewhat.  She had claimed that this made her look exactly like a Kallesonian, but since the girls had never seen one before, they had to take her word for it.  The girls themselves were wearing simple black cloaks with hoods that hid their faces.

Buttercup looked around the place, and said, "Are you sure we were supposed to meet him _here_?"

"Positive," Xianea said.  "He said at Tralh's.  I'm sure of it."

"Well, I don't see him anywhere…" Buttercup remarked, but no sooner than the words were out of her mouth, than she spotted him coming in the door.  "Wait, there he is."

The creature that approached them was about nine feet tall, but extremely thin.  His body was no thicker than an average person's forearm, and his arms and legs were almost the thickness of a pencil.  It took a seat at their table and said, "I have the information you wanted."

Xianea nodded.  As she did, the creature looked cautiously at the girls.  She explained, "My associates.  Don't worry, they can be trusted."

The creature nodded, "Understood."  He held a hand up in greeting to them and said, "I am Belor.  And you are?"

"My name is Aiya," Blossom said, using her alias.

"Treeka," Buttercup said.

Bubbles smiled and said, "My name's Reilestirenya…call me Reilee for short."

"Honored to meet you," Belor said.  He turned back to Xianea and said, "Since you've already paid me the fee we agreed upon, I'll let you have the information right now."  He took a small, flat chip from his suit and set it down on the table.  "As you requested, it contains a detailed map of Hkratth space, and I've plotted a few courses where you'll encounter the least resistance."

"Thank you," Xianea said, scooping the chip up from the table.  "We appreciate your help."

"Certainly," Belor replied.  "Oh, I was also wondering…you wouldn't happen to have seen any Centraxians in the area, would you?  A client of mine is searching for one…says she's travelling with a few Earthlings…"

"What's an Earthling?" Blossom asked, forcing herself not to react.

"I don't really know," Belor said.  "I'm guessing that means you haven't seen them…"

Blossom shook her head, "No we haven't, sorry."

"Oh well, I just thought I'd ask," he said.  "I'll be on my way now.  Good luck to you…you'll need it, when dealing with the Hkratth."  He stood up and made his way out of Tralh's.  As he left, the girls gave a few nervous glances at each other.

"That was close," Bubbles said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Buttercup agreed.  "I'm glad he didn't figure us out."

Xianea watched Belor leave, and said, "I think it would be best if we got moving immediately.  If he's searching for us, then it's likely that his 'client' is here at the trading post, or perhaps on their way."

The girls nodded in agreement, and the four of them got up to head for the exit.  They didn't see it, but a curious stranger sitting at the bar was watching them leave, his face hidden in shadow.  Brushing a few loose strands of hair from his eyes, he grinned and casually took a sip from his drink.  _Patience,_ he thought.  _They'll be back this way.  Don't just charge in like that fool Sorvat…bide your time, and strike when the moment is right.._

*              *                *

                Xianea's ship appeared in space, its singularity generator slowing it down once again.  Xianea looked over at Blossom, seated in the command chair next to her, and said, "Perfect.  You see?  That wasn't so hard…all you need is a destination, and the computer will make all the necessary jump calculations for you."

                "That _was_ pretty easy," Blossom said, still not taking her hands off the controls.  "It's almost self-explanatory…"

                "Blossom, I'm _highly_ impressed," Xianea said.  "You're learning at an amazing rate.  A few more days of practice, and you should be ready enough to learn some of the more advanced procedures, like docking."

                "You really think so?" Blossom asked.

                "Yes, without a doubt," Xianea replied confidently.  "I'm going to go check on dinner; it should be almost finished.  I'll only be gone for a couple of minutes…do you think you can handle the ship by yourself until I return?"

                "I think so," Blossom said, smiling.  "Thanks!"

                Xianea smiled, "Splendid.  I'll be right back."  She got up and walked out of the cockpit, the door closing behind her.  Blossom turned back to the controls and took a deep breath.  She could hardly believe that she was piloting a spaceship, all by herself.  Looking down at the navigation screen, she made a few slight adjustments in the ship's facing to make sure they were going in the right direction.  _This is easy_, she thought.  _I don't even feel nervous anymore…I bet I could handle anything!_

                All of a sudden, it appeared as though fate decided to _test_ that theory, because the sensor screen picked up the signature of another ship approaching.  A moment after that, the communications screen beeped, indicating that the ship was trying to contact her.  Blossom was suddenly a little unsure of herself, and looked across the controls, "Uhh…"  She finally located the proper controls and punched the button to open the communications channel.

                The face she saw on the screen was probably the last one she had expected to see.  It was a round face, set with a large greenish nose.  The rest of its head aside from its face was covered by thick pink fur, and a pair of antennae stuck out from the top.  He was scowling, and there was no doubt in Blossom's mind who she was looking at, even though she knew it was impossible.

                "Fuzzy?!" Blossom said.  "Fuzzy Lumkins?!  But...how are you still alive?"

                The figure on the screen growled, "Unknown alien vessel, identify yourself!"

                _Strange,_ Blossom thought.  _He's not talking in his hillbilly drawl anymore... _"It's me, Blossom," she replied.  "Don't you recognize me?"__

                "Alien Blossom...you are trespassing in our space," he said back.  "Remove your ship from our borders immediately!"

                _Heh, still the same old guy, even if he doesn't _sound_ like him..._ "Don't you mean, 'Git offa mah property,' Fuzzy?" she taunted, laughing.

                He didn't look happy at all...narrowing his eyes dangerously, he said, "What is a 'fuzzy'?  You will pay dearly for insulting the Hkratth!  Prepare to be annihilated!"  Turning slightly in his chair, he said, "Arm all weapons!" to someone off-screen.  When he moved, Blossom could see more people at stations in the background...and they all looked similar to Fuzzy as well.

                _Oh no_, she though..._that wasn't Fuzzy after all, those are the Hkratth!  But..._  "But..." she said aloud, "...but I...I thought you were..."

                The screen shut off.  Blossom bit her lip as she saw the alien vessel move into view in front of her.  It was at least four times the size of Xianea's ship, and covered with all kinds of weapons.  Cringing, Blossom yelled, "_Xianea_!"...but before anyone could show up, a wave of weapons fire started streaking towards her.  She yelped, and pushed the engine power all the way forward, pulling the ship up and over the blasts before they struck the ship.  A few blasts nicked the lower side, but it did little more than shake them up a little.

                Xianea came in through the door, and shouted, "What's happening?!"  She ran up to the front of the cockpit to look out.

                "A..a ship showed up, and..." Blossom tried to explain.

                "Let me have the controls," Xianea said quickly.  Blossom flew out of the seat, and Xianea jumped into place, quickly throwing the ship into a roll to avoid another set of blasts from the Hkratth ship.  She saw the worried look on Blossom's face and quickly said, "Don't worry about it...whatever happened, I know it was a mistake."

                "Yes, but…" Blossom began.

                "It's all right," Xianea reassured her.  "We can worry about that later…right now, we need to make a singularity jump and get out of here."  The ship shook briefly again as a few blasts struck their shields.  Xianea turned the ship around and positioned it, then activated the singularity generator.  The ship burst into faster-than-light speed, narrowly escaping another hail of blasts from the Hkratth vessel.

                Blossom had a slight bit of nausea from the jump, but it was getting easier now.  She breathed a sigh of relief, and as she did, Bubbles and Buttercup flew into the cockpit area.  Bubbles asked, "What happened?"

                "Lemme explain," Blossom said.  "We ran into a Hkratth ship, but…well, I thought I knew their ship's captain…"

                "Knew him from _where_?" Buttercup demanded.  "We don't hardly know _anyone_ out here…"

                Blossom held her hands up and said, "I know it sounds crazy, but he looked just like Fuzzy…_exactly_ like Fuzzy…"

                "Really?" Bubbles said.

                "Wow," Buttercup remarked.  "What are the odds of _that_ happening?"

                Xianea flexed her wings thoughtfully and said, "This 'Fuzzy'…it was someone you knew back on Earth, I take it?"  The girls nodded, and Xianea said, "Then I think I know what happened."

                "What?" Blossom asked.

                "Well, you see, the Hkratth have often sent out ships to find regions of space they can annex to their own territory," Xianea explained.  "I remember hearing about a Hkratth ship that wandered into an ion storm that was in your region of space.  It was never heard from again, and was presumed destroyed."

                "Oh, I get it," Buttercup said.  "You're saying that their ship _wasn't_ destroyed?"

                "Precisely," Xianea replied.  "Chances are, it was heavily damaged, and it's very likely that it made an emergency landing on Earth…or maybe it crash-landed.  This was many years ago, so this 'Fuzzy' that you knew was probably only a child on board the ship…perhaps even a newborn.  Growing up on Earth culture instead of with other Hkratth probably helped him blend in a little better with Earthlings, aside from his appearance."

                "How about that?" Blossom grinned.  "All this time, we had an alien living near us, and never knew it.  No _wonder_ Fuzzy was so angry with people getting on his property…his whole _species_ is instinctively territorial."

                "_Now_ what do we do about it?" Bubbles asked.

                "I'm not sure," Xianea said.  "Now they know we're here.  It's going to be a lot harder to move through Hkratth space, since we don't have the element of surprise anymore.  If we had some way of hiding our ship from detection, at least until they've lost a track on us, we could still make it through without a conflict."

                Xianea turned on the navigational screen, and brought up the detailed map of Hkratth space that they had obtained from Belor.  As the four of them looked across it, Blossom pointed at a small, green dot on it, "What's this?"

                "That's a comet, I believe," Xianea replied, zooming into that portion of the map.  "It's heading towards the heart of their space.  They can't even tolerate asteroids or other celestial objects wander into their territory, so it's likely it will be disintegrated by one of their outpost cannons when it passes _here_."  She traced her finger up on the map, stopping at one of the outposts that dotted the map.

                Blossom rubbed her chin, and said, "How about if we piggyback it in?"

                "Hmm?" Xianea said, not quite comprehending.

                Blossom clarified, "If we follow right behind the comet, in its tail, it'll be hard for their sensors to pick us up, won't it?  We can follow it along until just before it gets to the outpost, then break off and circle around _here_…"  She pointed at a gap between two outposts on the map.  "…especially their attention will be on the comet at the time."

                "That's actually quite clever," Xianea observed.  "In fact, it should work, too.  How did you come up with it?"

                Blossom smiled, "I saw it in a movie once."

                "See?" Buttercup pointed out.  "I _told_ ya watching all those sci-fi movies would come in handy someday!"

                "All right, let's do it," Xianea nodded.  She prepared to drop the ship out of faster-than-light speed so that she could make the necessary course changes to rendezvous with the comet.  As Blossom took her seat, she still could hardly believe it.  _Fuzzy, an alien,_ she thought.  _Heh…I should've guessed, with those antenna and everything…_

*              *                *

                The comet drifted slowly forward directly in front of them.  The particles that made up its tail surrounded their ship in a brilliant display of gold, from the light of the system's sun.  The girls stayed next to the window, looking out at it in amazement.  "It's beautiful," Bubbles remarked.

                Blossom nodded, "I've never seen anything like it before…"

                Xianea carefully matched the comet's course and speed, and said, "We'll be coming up on the break point shortly.  We'll have to act fast…the moment we fly out of the comet's tail, we need to initiate a singularity jump while their sensors are still obscured.  They won't even be able to pick it up."

                "What's the catch?" Buttercup asked.

                "The catch is, our _own_ sensors will still be blocked, so we'll have to more or less guess on which direction to jump in," Xianea explained.  "I'm going to need your help to visually spot where we need to go.  When we fly out from behind the comet, look quickly for a constellation of four stars in a straight line."

                "Got it," Blossom said.  They resumed watching the light show outside the ship.  She thought, _It's hard to believe that the Hkratth would want to destroy something so beautiful, just because it drifted into their boundaries…_

                They waited.  The map showed them growing ever closer to the outpost.  Just before they came within weapons range, Xianea shouted, "Ok, now!"  She pulled the ship out from behind the comet and streaked away from it at a different angle.  The ship left a trail of glowing dust in the air behind it, almost like the comet itself, from the particles it had just flown through.

                The girls quickly looked past the remaining particles, examining the stars.  Bubbles spoke up first, pointing out the window, "There it is!  A little to the left!"  The constellation they were looking for was just ahead.

Xianea made the necessary course correction.  Beside them, the comet gained more and more distance, until finally it came within range of the outpost, far off in the distance.  Little more than a battle station, one of its gigantic cannon mounts swiveled towards the oncoming comet and opened fire.  A giant blast of bright blue energy shot out from it, striking the comet dead-on and exploding it into millions of tiny fragments.  The moment the explosion took place, Xianea made the singularity jump.  The ship vanished into faster-than-light travel before the outpost could pick them up.

Blossom smiled, "Perfect!  That couldn't have gone _any_ better."

Xianea rechecked their status and said, "We're within a few seconds of a degree on the course we wanted.  We should reach our destination within an hour.  Excellent job, everyone!"

Bubbles said, "Thanks!  Next stop…the library!"

"Yeah!" Buttercup exclaimed.  "Nothing can go wrong _now_…"

Buttercup spoke too soon, however, because suddenly their sensors picked something up in front of them.  Xianea studied the readout, and her mouth dropped open, "Uh oh…"

"What is it?" Blossom asked, concerned.

"We're heading right into a large armada of ships," Xianea said.  "A _very_ large armada.  Over a hundred of them…no, two hundred."

Buttercup gasped, "The Hkratth?"

Xianea nodded, "Some of them.  But the other half consists of Sanhreni ships.  It looks like we're heading right into the middle of a conflict…"

"Can't we just go around them?" Bubbles asked.

Xianea shook her head, "We'd have to come out of faster-than-light travel first, before we can make course corrections, and if we do, they'll detect us for certain.  But they'll detect us if we just try to fly past the armada _anyway_.  Either way, we're in trouble…"  The ship grew ever closer to the conflict as they realized that they had better come up with a strategy _fast_…

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	9. Dispute

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

CHAPTER 9:

"Dispute"

Xianea's ship dropped out of faster-than-light travel, at the edge of the conflict area.  In front of them, the massive armada loomed, split into two forces facing each other.  On one side, Blossom recognized them as Hkratth ships.  On the other, there were similar battle cruisers, except they were long and sleek compared to the others. Sanhreni ships, no doubt.  "Are you sure it's safe to stop here?" she asked.

"No," Xianea answered her, "but we really don't have any choice.  If they're going to detect us either way, the _last_ place we want to be is right in the thick of the battle.  If we're too _far_ from it, then other patrol ships not involved in the battle will be after us.  This is the one spot where we have the least chance of being attacked."

As she spoke, they received a transmission.  The screen lit up with a picture of a Hkratth, who said, "Alien vessel!  Why are you intruding into Hkratth space?  We can't spare the time to deal with you right now, so leave immediately!"

Bubbles leaned over and whispered to Blossom, "Wow, you're right…they _do_ look just like Fuzzy…"

"Hkratth ship," Xianea said, thinking quickly.  "My name is Xianea.  I…wish to help resolve your conflict with the Sanhreni, in a peaceful manner."

The Hkratth narrowed his eyes, "Why would you want to help _us_?"

"Centraxians are dedicated to peace," she replied.  "We can find a solution to your problem, if you give us time…"

"In exchange for what?" the Hkratth asked.  "You wouldn't be doing this if you didn't _want_ something…"

Taking a deep breath, Xianea said, "We understand that there is a massive library on your homeworld.  We would like access to it…just once.  Afterwards, we will leave, and never return to Hkratth space if you wish.  Surely a peaceful resolution to your problem is worth _that_."

The Hkratth scratched his chin and said, "So, you convince these _pests_ to leave willingly, and we let you access our library?  Hmm…all right, you have my interest.  See what you can do, but if you fail, you will be driven out, and shall never return to our territory again, _ever_."

"Deal," Xianea said, nodding.  She switched off the communications screen, and sighed.  The girls glanced at each other, then back at Xianea, who said, "To be honest, I don't know how we're going to do this.  I was just buying us some time…"

"I think we should be able to help," Blossom said.  "We've had some luck with negotiations in the past."

"That's right," Bubbles said.  "One time, I talked a _huge_ monster into not attacking our city…"

                Xianea smiled, "Well, I _could_ use all the help I can get."  She looked at Buttercup, "Although, I know _you_ well enough by now to assume that you do most of _your_ negotiating with your _fists_, right?"

                Buttercup folded her arms, "Yeah, so?  A punch is worth a thousand words, you know."

                "Xianea's right, Buttercup," Blossom told her.  "You'd better stay behind on this one.  We're not going for intimidation here; we want a _passive_ solution."

                Buttercup shrugged, "Fine…diplomacy's not my thing anyway.  If you need backup, though, just gimme a shout, okay?"

                "You bet!" Bubbles said.

They all looked out of the window and noticed one of the Sanhreni ships breaking off from the squadron and moving to intercept them.  The girls looked concerned, but Xianea said, "Don't worry, they're coming by to dock with us.  The Hkratth must have contacted them and arranged the meeting to be held on that ship."

Xianea moved the ship into position, and the two ships slowly docked with one another.  She got up from the control station and said, "All right, let's go.  Buttercup, this is very important…if there's _any_ sign of struggle outside by the armada, contact me _immediately_ by this communicator."  She handed a small, palm-sized device to her.

"You got it," Buttercup replied.  She took a seat by the window to keep watch, while the rest of them went further back into the ship, ready to board the Sanhreni vessel.  Buttercup gazed out of the window at the armada and thought to herself, _That's a lot of ships…I hope those three _do_ sort this thing out, 'cause it's gonna be one brutal battle if they don't…_

*              *                *

                The vessel they boarded was a lot larger than theirs was.  They were lead to a large chamber, which they were using to conduct the meeting, with a group of Hktratth on one side of a large oval table, and a group of Sanhreni on the other side.  The Sanhreni were very short, almost the same size as the girls, and had an off-white color of skin, almost like an eggshell white.  They had a thick brow above their large green eyes, and didn't have any hair, nor did they appear to have noses or ears.  They wore simple black outfits with no decorations of any kind.

                They were also deep into a heated discussion with the Hkratth.  There was shouting going back and forth between them.  Xianea stepped up to the head of the table and announced, "May I have your attention, please?"  They quieted down for the most part.

                "Very well…say what you came to say, Centraxian," replied one of the Sanhreni, not taking his eyes off of the Hkratth directly opposite of him.

                As Blossom and Bubbles hovered up by her sides, Xianea nodded and spoke, "First, I would like to hear each perspective of this conflict, beginning with the Hkratth.  And I don't mean about whatever struggle you're in right now…go back to the beginning.  Why did you develop these disputes with the Sanhreni in the _first_ place?"

                An extremely burly Hkratth stood up from the table and growled, "It's simple.  These _vermin_ wanted to colonize in a planet within _our_ boundaries."  He glared at the nearest Sanhreni and added, "Our borders are _clearly_ defined…there's _no_ excuse for their actions!  We demand that they leave our space immediately!"

                Xianea held a hand up, "Take it easy, we need more information first.  I need to hear from the Sanhreni now."  She waited as the Hkratth frowned and reluctantly took his seat again.  She looked in the others' direction.

                A Sanhreni stood up, and said, "The truth of the matter is, that planet once belonged to _us_.  It was within our own boundaries, until the Hkratth unexpectedly extended their 'space' to include it.  We only want what once was ours."

                "Lies!" the Hkratth spat out.  "That planet was _uninhabited_ when we annexed it!"

                "Of _course_ it was uninhabited!" the Sanhreni shouted back.  "We _had_ to retreat from the full invasion force you mounted against us!"

                "They were exploration ships, nothing more," the Hkratth replied, folding his arms.  "You shouldn't have been so quick to jump to conclusions.  If you choose to abandon a planet, you can't just come _back_ for it later!"

                "Are _all_ Hkratth 'exploration ships' so heavily armed?"

                "Are _all_ Sanhreni such _vile_ and _disgusting…"_

                "That's _enough_!" Blossom shouted loudly, cutting them off.  They turned to look at her in surprise.  Blossom flew out above the table and said, "This seems like a simple misunderstanding to me, so let me ask.  Hkratth, did you send any kind of message to the planet to let them know you were just explorers?"

                "Well…no, we didn't get the opportunity," the Hkratth said slowly.  "They had left the planet as we approached."

                Blossom frowned, "You should have warned them as you approached, not just waited until you arrived."  She turned to the Sanhreni and said, "And why were you so quick to abandon the planet?  You had a colony there already, I take it?"

                "We did," he answered.  "We…didn't want to be destroyed by the invasion force."

                "But you took _everything_ with you?" Blossom asked,  "Why didn't you leave _something_ behind?  At least to show that the planet was still claimed…"

                "We…we didn't…think it would matter…" he stammered.

                Xianea spoke up, "Actually, it would have.  If there's one thing from past records about the Hkratth, it's that despite their strong protectiveness of their own territory, they usually respect territory that belongs to another, except when their own borders are violated."

                "The way _I_ see it, you _both_ contributed to this mess," Blossom pointed out.  "You shouldn't fight over this.  In fact, you shouldn't be fighting about other things _because_ of this, either.  What you need to do is come up with a solution that is fair to both of you."

                A silence filled the hall for a moment, and Bubbles suddenly said, "I have an idea!"  She looked over at the Sanhreni, "Do you guys leave your planets very much?"

                "Not really," he replied.  "Only to explore, or to send a colony ship out to another planet.  We don't build space stations or the like.  In fact, we haven't even needed any kind of battle fleet until this incident."

                "So how about this…"  She flew over to the center of the table, where a map of the region was showing, and pointed at the planet, "You guys get to have this planet…but the space around it belongs to the Hkrr…"  She hesitated, knowing she might insult them by mispronouncing their name, and just waved her hand towards the Hkratth, "…_you_ guys."

                Blossom smiled, "Hey, I think I get it…that way, they can do whatever they want on the planet, but the rare times that they need to send a ship out, they just get clearance from the Hkratth to launch and pass through.  The actual region belongs to _them_, so they can build and stuff there, and only have to worry about the occasional Sanhreni ship coming and going from time to time."

                "Exactly!" Bubbles agreed.

                The Hkratth rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment and said, "Hmm…that actually sounds acceptable to us…"  The other members of the Hkratth on his side of the table nodded their consent.  "I would agree to these terms.  What do you say?"

                All the Sanhreni huddled for a moment to whisper to each other, and finally the one that was speaking before stepped forward from the group and said, "We approve to these conditions as well."

                A smile cross Xianea's face, "Excellent!  Then it's settled…we can put this whole struggle behind us and try to be friends."

                "Don't be so hasty," the Hkratth said.  "We will still be watching them as they pass near our territory.  But yes, perhaps an alliance of some sort _would_ be possible someday…"

                The Sanhreni smiled a little and said, "It seems unthinkable, but who _knows_ what the future will bring…"

                As the Hkratth and the Sanhreni got back up, and the Hkratth prepared to return to their ships, the girls flew back over to Xianea…both of them were smiling just as much as she was.  Xianea said, "I'm speechless…that was an _astonishing_ job you two did.  Thanks to your little speech and suggestion, you may have averted a _war_."

                "Thanks!" Blossom and Bubbles said together.  The three of them turned to head back to their own ship, and Xianea thought, _There's so much more to these girls than meets the eye…their talents are truly boundless.  I couldn't be more proud of them, even if they were my _own_ children…_

*              *                *

                Xianea, Blossom, and Bubbles returned to the cockpit of their ship.  As they came through the door, they saw Buttercup sitting over by the window, gazing out.  She glanced over as they walked in, but something seemed different.  Her eyes seemed a little puffy, like she had just been crying…they only caught a glimpse of it, though, because in the next, she had turned away from them, to look back out of the window.

                "Buttercup?" Blossom said, concerned.

"Oh hey, how did it go?" Buttercup asked.  Her voice sounded casual, but a little too casual, like she was forcing it.

Bubbles said, "Great!  We got them to make peace…"  She hesitated, "Umm, is something wrong?"

Buttercup quickly responded, "Nothing.  Whoops, I gotta go check to see if dinner's okay, 'cause y'know, we left it cooking when all this happened…"  She got up and flew past them in a flash of green light.

Blossom and Bubbles looked up at Xianea, who said, "I think I'll go check on dinner also.  Blossom, you have the controls while I'm gone, ok?"

"Roger!" Blossom said, tossing off a small salute.

Xianea grinned, and headed out the door into the corridor.  She crossed it and stepped into the chamber where the food was being prepared.  She saw Buttercup sitting at one of the tables.  Buttercup glanced up at her for a moment, then looked past her, like she was looking for someone else.

"I'm by myself," Xianea said, letting the door close behind her.  She walked over to the table and said, "Are you all right?"

"Xianea…" Buttercup said, but then trailed off.  She took a deep breath and said, "I didn't want the other girls to see me like this…"

Xianea sat down next to her and listened, as she continued talking, "When…when the Earth was destroyed…I was devastated.  Probably worse than _they_ were.  I didn't…well, I didn't want them to see it, so I played tough, y'know…"

"I see…" Xianea said.  "You kept it all bottled up inside, then…"

Buttercup nodded, "It's been…a while since that…when it happened.  They seem to be taking it so well, now…like they're moving on.  But I just…I just can't get it out of my mind…"  A few tears escaped her eyes, "I still feel awful, like I did when it happened…and it's not…getting any easier…"

"I understand," Xianea said, putting a consoling hand on her shoulder.  As she did this, Buttercup finally broke, and started crying, putting her head down on the table in her arms.  Xianea stayed quiet, letting her get it all out.

After almost a minute, Buttercup raised her head slightly and sobbed, "Look at me…cryin' like a baby…I can't let 'em see me like this…I'm supposed to be the _tough_ one…not this…"

"It's all right," Xianea reasuured her in a soft voice.  "You have more bravery than you're giving yourself credit for.  It takes a lot of courage to show your feelings.  If you can tell them to me, you shouldn't just hide them from the other girls.  They feel the same way you do about it, I'm sure of it."

Buttercup looked up at her, sniffing, "Y-you really think so?"

Nodding, Xianea said, "You should tell them how you really feel.  Deep down, they miss the Earth as much as you do …they'll be more than willing to share their feelings back with you, I guarantee it."

Buttercup wiped the tears from her eyes, and smiled, hugging Xianea's arm, "Thank you…"  She stayed that way for another few moments, then looked up at her again and added, "Y'know…I really feel like I can talk to you about _anything_, Xianea…you're like the mother we never had…"

Xianea smiled, and said, "The other girls are waiting for you…now would be a good time to talk to them."

                Buttercup nodded, and flew up away from the table.  She hesitated at the door, looking back at Xianea for a moment before finally flying the rest of the way out.  Xianea watched her leave, but then was distracted by the dinner that was cooking off to the side.  It was burning.  Xianea sighed slightly, and smiled once again, thinking, _Well, I'm not sure I can salvage much of that dinner, but it's okay…I salvaged something much more important just now…_

*              *                *

                Xianea's ship soared across Hkratth space, encircled by a rather heavy escort of eight ships, arranged in a cube-like pattern around them.  They were reminded repeatedly during the trip not to alter their course in _any_ way.  Blossom could tell that they probably didn't give 'tours' to people like this very often.

                "We're almost there," Xianea said, looking over at the navigation screen from her seat.  "We should be coming within visual range of the Hkratth homeworld any time now.

                As they watched out of the window, a planet appeared in the distance, and slowly grew larger until it filled the screen.  It looked like it was surrounded by rings at first, similar to Saturn, but as they grew closer to it, it turned out to be a large number of ships and space stations, all huddled together.  The planet itself looked like it was covered mostly with red desert, almost like Mars.  Several cities could be seen on the surface, with various connections between them crossing the planet like a spider web.

                "Reduce your ship's velocity by sixty percent," came a message from the communications panel.  "You will not deviate from that velocity until we reach the station for docking."

                Bubbles looked out of the window, "So that's the place?  The library we're looking for is down there somewhere?"

                "All right," Blossom said.  "I can't wait to see what it's like!"

                Xianea almost seemed a little excited herself, "Yes…it's supposed to be glorious.  And to think, I'll be the first Centraxian to ever set foot inside of it…"

                Buttercup grinned, "Yeah…probably the last, too.  I dunno if these guys'll ever let _anyone_ through here again."

                The ship grew closer to one of the stations in the 'ring', and Blossom thought, _We just have to find that alien's journal in the library somewhere, and we'll be on our way to finding the Omega Particle!  It won't be much longer now…_

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	10. Journal

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

CHAPTER 10:

"Journal"

The four of them stood just within the entrance to the Hkratth Library.  The ancient building had wide marble floors, rails, and columns, each of them artistically carved.  Windows high above allowed the light to shine in from outside, casting rays of reddish light across the scene.  Several exotic-looking plants lined the edge, and a grand fountain with a carving of a Hkratth sat in the center.

Despite the obvious age of the structure, everything was kept in almost perfect condition, and there were large computer terminals set into the walls.  There was also the presence of several armed Hkratth standing guard with laser rifles.  They watched every movement of the four as they gazed about the hall.

"Stunning," Xianea remarked.  "And to think, we're the first outsiders to view this library in centuries…"

"It _is_ beautiful," Bubbles agreed, admiring the carvings in a pillar as they passed by it.

"Well, we have work to do," Blossom reminded them.  "We need to find that journal.  Where do we begin?  We don't even know the name of the guy who wrote it…"

Xianea crossed the hall towards the doors on the opposite end, with the girls following her close behind.  She said, "We'll just have to search.  It may take some time, but the journal will be in there somewhere.  In the meantime, I will want to see if I can view their central database…even if I don't have the time to _read_ everything it contains, I can at least have it imprinted into my genetic programming like any of my _other_ memories, to be extracted later at Centraxia."

They opened the doors, and entered into a long archive.  There were aisles along each side of it, but they didn't contain books.  Instead, they contained small, flat crystals.  At the end of the aisles were devices containing a place to sit and a headset.  They looked eerily to Buttercup like electric chairs, although she knew they probably weren't.

Experimentally, Blossom flew over and lifted one of the crystals from its holder on the aisle.  She peered closely at it, then flew over to the device.  As she sat down in it, she noticed a small opening in the arm of the chair that looked about the right size to hold the crystal.  She inserted it, and the headset lowered down, planting firmly on her head.  The others watched as she did this.

Everything around Blossom seemed to instantly change.  She found herself floating in the middle of an open field.  The ground beneath her was covered with plants similar to grass, although slightly different somehow, more alien-like.  She heard a tremendous thundering noise, and saw two large armies, both consisting of Hkratth, charging towards each other.  Each army wore a different uniform, and they were armed with curved bladed weapons that kind of looked like swords with a blade at each end.

                Blossom hovered closer with interest, and suddenly, another battalion charged from directly behind her towards the conflict.  She threw her hands up protectively in front of her, but the warriors just ran right through her.  She was momentarily confused, until she realized it was just an illusion.

                _Wow_, she thought, watching the armies clash.  _They've created a visual history…amazing!  What a way to study history, it's much better than reading it…_  She watched the armies fight for a few more moments, then thought, _Okay, now how do I leave?_

                No sooner than she had thought this, but she suddenly returned to the chair…she felt like she had just woken up from a dream.  The headset rose up and off of her.  Bubbles and Buttercup were right in front of her, and Bubbles asked, "How was it?"

                "You _have_ to try this!" Blossom exclaimed, pulling the crystal free from the device, and flying over to replace it back in its holder on the aisle.  "It's incredible!  Hey…where's Xianea?"

                Buttercup pointed over at one of the other devices.  She was fixed in the chair with the headset on, sitting very still.  "She said she's checking the index," Buttercup said, "trying to find where that journal is.  So, what are those things like?"

                "It's like a dream," Blossom said.  "I was floating above a field, watching a battle from their history take place below me.  _This_ is the way to learn…I'm sure they probably use stuff similar to it for things like math and science."

                "So there's no reading?  You just watch everything?" Buttercup asked.

                "That's right," Blossom said.

                Grinning, Buttercup said, "Kinda like watching TV, then.  Only better!"

                Bubbles grinned, "Cool!  Lemme try!"  She picked a crystal up from the nearest aisle and sat down, putting it into the device.  The helmet lowered onto her head, and she went still, as she viewed the visual record that the crystal contained.

                Xianea, in the meantime, finished her own 'reading', and got up from the device, she called out, "Girls!  I believe I know which one contains the journal.  As soon as Bubbles is finished there, we should head down and take a look for it."

                "Okay!" Blossom called back.  They didn't have to wait for long, though, because Bubbles' headset rose up from her head that instant.  She wasn't really smiling, though, but rather, she had an expression of nausea.  "What's wrong?" Blossom asked.

                "Ughh…" Bubbles said, getting up from the chair.  "I got some medical thingy, showin' how to do some kinda stomach surgery."  She shuddered.

                "Eww, yech…" Buttercup said, "Bad choice.  I don't blame ya.  Well, c'mon, let's get going…where's the journal at, Xianea?"

                Xianea replied, "It's on the fifth floor.  Follow me."

The four of the headed towards a lift on the far end of the archives.  As they went, Blossom said, "This could be it…this thing could tell us exactly where the Omega Particle is located.  Maybe…maybe if we hurry, we can get to the particle and get the Earth back in only a day or two!  Maybe even today!"

"I hope you're right, Bloss," Buttercup nodded.  "I really do…"

*              *                *

                Xianea sat in the device, viewing the crystal they had located.  The other girls waited next to her expectantly.  The journal was rather long, and so she had been watching it for more than an hour now.  With no sign of feedback from her, the girls could only wait.

                Finally, Xianea became alert again, the headset rising from her head.  The girls immediately flew forward a few feet and said together, "Well?"

                Xianea popped the crystal out of the device and told them, "There is good news, indeed.  Let me play back the relevant portion of the journal for you, so you won't each have to sit through the whole thing."  She got out of the device and moved over to a terminal on one wall.  Sliding the crystal into it, she quickly manipulated the controls.

                The girls watched as a short creature appeared on the display.  It was only about three feet tall, and hunched over; its skin was green, and its features were almost toad-like, with large bulbous eyes and a wide-lipped mouth.  He also looked like he was old, and perhaps slightly ill.  He was speaking, "…but more importantly, we decided to conceal the location of the Zadron's greatest treasure.  It was once called the Omega Stone, but now only a mere particle of it exists, so it is hardly a 'stone' anymore."

_I can't believe it_, Bubbles thought, trying to contain her excitement.  _This guy's gonna tell us where it's hidden!  I can't wait!  I can't wait to go back home again…_

The Zadron continued, "It only has a single 'wish' left upon it, so we did not want to squander it.  Due to the nature of its energy, it can never be replenished, not even through its own power.  Wishing for another Omega Stone will be fruitless, and wishing to return back in time to use the stone when it was larger will merely undo all previous uses from that time forward.  No, it must be saved for a worthy purpose."

                He coughed a few times…he was definitely not well, they could see.  He said, "One of the eldest of our race, Ghoraan, was entrusted with the _exact_ location of the Omega Particle.  Long ago, the Omega Stone had granted him 'a long life', so it is likely he will live for many millennia, or perhaps even to the end of time.  Thus, there will always be a member of the Zadron to guard this secret, and should a trustworthy soul come along that needs to use it, he would be willing to give them that information."

                The playback completed.  Buttercup seemed a little startled, "So…this Ghoraan's still alive, I hope…right?"

                Xianea nodded, "He's supposed to be nearly immortal, thanks to the Omega Stone.  Now that we know his name, he shouldn't be too difficult to find, especially if he has passed through any checkpoint stations recently.  They'll have recorded his name there if he did."

                "That's assuming he'd _use_ his real name," Blossom reminded her.

                "I think he would," Xianea said.  "Even perhaps his real species name.  An earlier part of that journal claimed that truth was something the Zadron valued highly."

                Bubbles smiled, "So let's start asking around, then, and find this guy!"

                "We'd better be careful," Blossom cautioned her.  "If we draw too much attention, it might cause a rush of people looking for the particle also.  This is something that's probably best not to fall into the wrong hands, you know…"

                As they were discussing this, Xianea turned back to the computer console and laid her hands on it, closing her eyes.  A white aura surrounded her hands briefly, and the girls looked over, puzzled.  Buttercup said, "Xianea?"

                A few more seconds passed, and Xianea took her hands off the panel.  She opened her eyes, and said, "It's done…this terminal had a link to the main archives where all the data that are on the crystals were being stored.  I just copied it all into my genetic programming."

                "That fast?" Bubbles asked.

                Xianea nodded, and said, "It's kind of like how I learned your language when we first met.  I slowed the process down that time, however, so that I could store it in my _main_ memory also instead of just my _genetic_ memory.  Copying only into genetic memory is much, much faster."

                "In that case, we have everything we came here for, then," Blossom exclaimed, "so let's move out!  Before we wear out our welcome with the Hkratth."

                "I couldn't agree more," Xianea said, starting back for the lifts once again.  Although she maintained a calm appearance, inside she was ecstatic.  _This is one of the largest single collections of information a Centraxian has ever managed to acquire_, she thought.  _The others will treat me like a hero!  I hope they don't have me stay on Centraxia for too long, though…I really want to follow the girls back to Earth…_

*              *                *

                Their ship was escorted out of Hkratth space uneventfully.  They were able to dock back at the Adarian Trading Post to begin their search there.  They came onto the station in their disguises that they wore there once before.  Xianea, in her Kallesonian disguise, was hoping to find Belor again…his information didn't come cheap, but he seemed reliable enough.  However, after a quick search of the station, they found that he had departed earlier that day.

                "I'm sure there's someone else that can get us the information we need," Xianea said, walking along the outer ring of the station, where the various merchants set up shop.  "We just need to find them."

                "Why don't we just go for the checkpoints, like you said?" Blossom asked, hovering next to her.

                "As _you_ said, it might draw unwanted attention," Xianea answered.  "We'll try that method if this one doesn't work out."

                Buttercup flew along side of the others, watching the crowd as they passed by.  "Yeah…'sides, if Ghoraan is laying low, we'd probably have a better chance to find out from _these_ guys where he is."

                "Lookin' for someone?" a voice spoke out.  They all stopped to look in the direction of the voice.  There was a man leaning up against the wall they had just been walking past, with his arms folded across his chest.  He was humanoid…probably the closest thing to an Earthling the girls had yet encountered out here.  He looked like he was in his late twenties, and had somewhat long hair that was a medium green color…most of it was tied into something almost like a ponytail in the back.  He wore a long, baggy jacket and dark pants, plus a metal headband around his forehead.  His facial features seemed a little more bony than a human's, with extra definition around the bridge of his noes, the sides of his eyes, and his cheeks.

                "Who are you?" Xianea asked.

                The stranger smirked and said, "My name's not important, Kallesonian.  What _is_ important is that you're looking for some information.  Well, I _have_ information, so maybe I can help you out."

                Buttercup was a little skeptical, and said, "What's your price?"

                "Depends on what you're looking for," the stranger said, matter-of-factly.

                "We're trying to track down someone named Ghoraan," Xianea said.

                "I see," he said.  "Any particular reason?"

                Xianea shook her head, "It's not really important."

                "Hmm…yes…" the stranger said.  "Well, I'd be more than happy to check with my connections.  We can discuss your fee later, once I discover how difficult this 'Ghoraan' is to find.  If you'll accompany me to my ship, we can contact them from there."

                Xianea nodded her okay.  The stranger started towards one of the docks, and they all followed him.  As they went, Blossom said, "My name's Aiya, by the way.  These are my sisters, Treeka and Reilee."

"A pleasure," he said, nodding.  He lead them to the docking bay where his ship was located.  He opened the tiny airlock leading into his ship, and frowned, "There's only enough room for two of us at a time…well, all three of _you_ little ones can go at once, but the two of _us_ will go first.  I'll open the door for you once we get inside."

                "Okay, hurry up though," Buttercup said.

                Xianea stepped into the airlock, and the stranger stepped in directly behind her.  They closed the door, and through the small window on the door, they could see Xianea smiling back at them while the stranger keyed in the airlock sequence to open the door into the ship.  As soon as the door opened, however, he pulled something from his jacket in one fluid motion and placed it against Xianea's back.  She was surrounded briefly by streamers of electricity and tensed up, then collapsed, unconscious.

                The girls gasped, and Blossom shouted, "Xianea!!"  Before they could do anything, though, the stranger quickly slid her into the ship, closing the door behind him.

                Buttercup pushed the other two girls aside and yelled, "Stand back, I'm blastin' the door open!"  She powered up her eyebeams, preparing to fire, but again, it was too late.  The ship must have already been ready to depart, because it disconnected from the airlock before she had the chance.  She quickly powered her eyebeams back down, since a blast _now_ would open the station up into the vacuum outside, and the three of them leaned up against the window, helplessly watching the ship pull away from the station.

                "No!  Xianea!" Bubbles cried out.

                A small screen next to the door lit up with a transmission from the ship.  The stranger's face appeared on it, and he said, "So, you three are the Earthlings I've heard so much about."  He was replacing an emblem on his jacket where he must have removed it before…the symbol of the Gyahembu.  "So nice to meet you at last.  My name is Drax, by the way.  Drax Kanard."

                Buttercup gritted her teeth, "I swear, you do _anything_ to her and I'll…"

                "Relax, she's fine," Drax replied.  "I only incapacitated your Centraxian friend.  We need her alive, after all.  Besides, we know you'll want to come and rescue her, won't you?  You're more than willing to try.  We'll be waiting for you, though."

                "You…" Blossom began, but the transmission cut off.  They stared as the ship made some distance from the station, then made a singularity jump.  Even after it had left, they continued to stare at the empty space where it once was.

                Finally, Bubbles said, "_Now_ what are we gonna do?!  We're…we're alone again…"

                "Yeah…" Buttercup said, angrily.  "Man, I can't believe it, he tricked us!  How could we be that _stupid_?"

                "We're stuck here…" Bubbles cried.  "W-we can't go _after_ them, can we…"

                Blossom tightened her jaw, remaining firm, and said, "There's still a chance.  I can fly the ship, so maybe I can still get us there."

                "I know you can fly the ship," Buttercup said, "but what difference does it make if we don't know where we're _going_?"

                "He'll probably take her back to his boss," Blossom guessed.  "And where are the Gyahembu located?"

                Bubbles' face lit up as she remembered, "Paradise Fringe!"

                "Exactly!  So _that's_ where we're going!" Blossom said, nodding confidently.  "But also, maybe we can find someone here that can help us.  Or at the very least, we can see if we can get in contact with Alyxk.  I'm sure he's still around this area somewhere.  Ghoraan can wait for right now; we need to get back Xianea first safely!  Agreed?"

                Bubbles and Buttercup both nodded and said together, "Yes!"

                "Then what are we waiting for?  Let's go!"  They hurried towards the center of the station once again, to begin their search for help.  They hadn't planned on a rescue mission when they came here, but all three of them were prepared for one anyway…it was, after all, the heroic thing to do.  There was only question now that remained on each of their minds…since Drax was expecting them, and the odds were all against them, would they be able to pull it off?

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	11. Reunion

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

CHAPTER 11:

"Reunion"

The girls entered Tralh's, glancing about warily.  Now that Xianea wasn't with them, they felt a lot less secure wandering through the station.  They had gradually become more worried that a situation might arise where they would need her guidance.  This was a particular example…they needed to find help in order to rescue her, but knew nothing about most of the species they laid eyes on.

There was no need for their cloaks anymore, they decided.  The Gyahembu had already come and gone from here, and it would be inconvenient for them to use an alias right now.  As they entered the place, they flew up to the bar and sat down.  Blossom waved to get the bartender's attention.

He stepped over…he was a wide creature with solid black skin and at least a dozen extremely thin tentacles.  He raised the eyebrow over one of his three eyes and said, "Children are too young for this bar.  What do you what?"

"We, uh…have a problem that requires the help of a mercenary," Blossom said.  "Do you know any that come by here?"

"Occsaionally, yes," the bartender answered.  "There are several here right now, actually, around the place.  What do you need them for?"

"Just some backup, really," Buttercup explained.  "We're gonna be doing most of the _hard_ stuff ourselves."

"_You_ children?" he chuckled.  "What species _are_ you?  You can't be _that_ powerful…"

                Bubbles said, "Well, we're from Earth, but…"

                "Earthlings?" the bartender asked.  When the girls nodded, he shook his head, "You _can't_ be Earthlings."

                "Why not?" Blossom demanded.

                "Because…"  The bartender pointed past them at one of the tables in he place,  "_He's_ an Earthling.  And you don't look _anything_ like him."

The girls looked in the direction he was pointing, in surprise.  A figure sat in a large chair with its back facing them…all that was visible of him was the very top of his head, which looked like he was wearing a helmet.  An arm wearing a white glove reached out and picked up the drink that was sitting on the table in front of him, rising it up to take a sip from it.  The girls flew around in front of him to get a better look, and gasped in shock…it was…

"Mojo Jojo!" all three of them exclaimed.

There was no mistaking it…he was wearing the same outfit he normally wore.  It was Mojo, right down to the last detail.  Surprised, Mojo sprayed out the sip he had just taken from his drink, and sputtered, "Powerpuff Girls!"

Normally, the girls wouldn't have been too happy to see him, but as it was, they flew up to him immediately, hugging him tightly from all sides.  It was a treat for them just to see someone else from the Earth that was still alive, even if it _was_ one of their greatest enemies.  Mojo looked uncomfortable about the embrace, but the girls didn't seem to notice.  Blossom said, "It's really you!  You're alive!"

"Of course I am!" Mojo said, a little more fiercely than he intended.  He pried the girls off of him and said, "I am surprised to see that you have survived the destruction of the Earth as well.  I admit, despite our differences, it _is_ a refreshing sight to see you."  He waggled a finger in the air, "But no more hugging!  I forbid you to hug me anymore!"

"Sure," Buttercup said, hovering back and smiling.  "Hey, how did you survive _anyway_?"

"Well," he explained, "after my failed attempt to obliterate the asteroid that was going to eventually do the same to the _Earth_, I knew it was hopeless, that there was nothing to reverse what was going to happen, else I would have found a way to _do_ so.  Faced with this fact, I constructed a vessel capable of space travel, so that I might escape the planet and into space, where I would be safe from the asteroid and it would not be able to cause my _own_ destruction along with the planet's."

"Didn't you take anyone else with you?" Bubbles asked.

"No, don't be ridiculous," Mojo frowned.  "I barely had sufficient time to assemble a ship large enough for myself, let alone other passengers.  Time was of the essence."

"Oh…" Bubbles said, dropping her eyes.  "So we're the only ones, then?  The four of us?"

"Looks like," Buttercup answered her.  "At least it's better than only three."

Mojo sat back in his seat and grinned slightly, "I cannot say I am surprised that you have survived.  After all of the times I tried to eliminate you myself, I should have known that something as minor as a planetary collision wouldn't stop you."  His grin faded, though, as he added, "Of course, now I suspect that you'll probably watch my every move here in _space_ as well, as you used to do on Earth, now that you are aware of my presence here."

"Well, have you been _up_ to anything evil lately?" Blossom asked.

Mojo shook his head, "Not exactly.  It has taken all of my effort just to make a living out here for these past few weeks.  At this current moment, I am on a stopover, a resting point, transporting cargo for the Rylissans, but demeaning tasks such as these are only until I can acquire enough funding to engage in a more _profitable_ business.  I have considered setting myself as a mercenary for hire."

"Yeah, you'd probably be good at that…" Buttercup said.

"Indeed," Mojo nodded, and took another sip from his drink.  He said, "Strange, I never thought I would be sitting here, having a conversation with my greatest enemies over a drink on a space station.  Life is certainly full of unusual surprises.  But anyhow…I am monopolizing this conversation far too much, for I am curious as to what _you_ have been doing while out here…"

"It's a long story," Bubbles said.

"Yeah," Blossom agreed.  "Right now, we're trying to rescue a friend that are being held by these guys called the Gyahembu…"

Mojo's eyes widened.  "Don't tell me you're in trouble with _them_…"

Startled by Mojo's reaction, Blossom said, "Yes…why, do you know them?"

Mojo reached up and brushed his cape aside, off his shoulder.  There, around his arm just below the shoulder, was an armband emblazoned with the bladed star symbol of the Gyahembu.  He said, "Who do you think is having me transport the cargo?"

Buttercup looked angry, "I shoulda _figured_ you'd hook up with them…"  She looked like she was ready to sock him.

"Buttercup, wait!" Blossom exclaimed.  Buttercup hesitated, as she continued, "This might be the opportunity we need.  If Mojo knows the Gyahembu, perhaps he can get us close enough to rescue Xianea."

"No!  Absolutely out of the question!  Forget about it!" Mojo growled, standing up.  "I am just now beginning to earn their trust.  After only one or two more deliveries like this, they will undoubtedly have greater tasks more worthy of my skills.  I will not throw aside this opportunity just to help _you_ three!"

Bubbles pleaded, "C'mon, Mojo!  Please?  Xianea means a lot to us…"

"That's right, and besides…" Blossom added, "…we Earthlings have to stick together, you know?"

Mojo thought about that.  He settled back down in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of himself thoughtfully.  After a moment, he said, "You understand that I must not be connected to this in any way.  If they find out I helped you…"

"Don't worry," Blossom promised.  "We'll keep your involvement a secret."

"_And_…" Mojo continued, "…you still have to make this worth my while.  I _am _planning to be a _mercenary_, after all.  What do you have to offer me?"

The girls glanced at each other.  Since Xianea had done all the purchasing around here, on her own, they didn't even have any idea what they _used_ for money out here, let alone if they _had_ any.  Mojo saw their confused looks and frowed, "I gather by your expressions that you have _nothing_ to offer…"

"No, no, we do," Blossom quickly said.  "See, Xianea has some information that the Centraxians really want, so I can guarantee some kind of payment from _them_ at the very least.  But we don't have anything right _now_…"

Mojo furrowed his brow, and sighed, "I suppose that you are not usually the untrustworthy type.  Very well, I will see what I can do."

Bubbles smiled, "Thanks, Mojo!  We _knew_ we could count on you!"

Buttercup whispered to her, "We did?"  Bubbles shushed her back.

"All right," Mojo said, standing up from the table.  "I must now return to my ship to complete the delivery of my cargo.  You will meet me at Checkpoint Station 41, in…hmm…twenty-four hours.  Remember, speak _none_ of this to the Gyahembu!"

"Okay!" the girls all said together, nodding.  With a flourish of his cape, Mojo turned and strode out of Trahl's.

Blossom watched him leave, and said, "Girls, I think our odds of rescuing Xianea have _just_ gotten better.  But we'd better keep an eye on Mojo, anyway.  He might try to double-cross us."

"Yeah, he'd probably turn us in if he felt the reward was good," Buttercup pointed out.

"So, Checkpoint 41, in a day," Bubbles said.  "What do we do until then?"

"We should just go there right now," Blossom replied, as the three of them began to head for the exit.  "We can just stay at the station until Mojo shows up."

Nodding, Buttercup said, "Sounds all right, I guess.  Well, let's go, then…lead the way, pilot girl!"  As they started back for their ship, Buttercup couldn't help but think, _Trusting Mojo…man, I just don't know.  I have a bad feeling about all of this…_real_ bad…_

*              *                *

                Xianea's ship gently eased away from the station, turning away from it and lining up for a singularity jump.  Blossom worked the controls as best she could…she was nervous, flying alone, but the other girls were nearby in their chairs, and that made her feel a _little_ better, anyway.  Buttercup remarked, "Doin' fine!  Looks like she taught you pretty well."

                "Thanks!" Blossom said, and brought up the navigation screen.  "Let's see, Checkpoint 41…hmm…"  She located it on the map, and the computer automatically forwarded the coordinates to the singularity generator.  "Okay, we're all set.  Hang on!"

                The ship lurched forward as it made the singularity jump.  The stars streaked past them from the window, the ship speeding off towards its destination.  Blossom grinned…that time, she didn't even _flinch_ when they made the jump.  Bubbles and Buttercup looked like they were fine as well.  Xianea was right; they _had_ gotten used to it, finally.

                "Well, it's pretty much smooth sailing from here," Blossom announced, and got up from the controls.  "It'll take us a few hours to get there.  What do we do now?"

                "I don't know…I really don't…" Buttercup said.  "I'm all out of ideas."

                After a silence, Bubbles said, "You know, I just realized…that Omega Particle really exists, doesn't it?"

                "Yeah, that's right…" Buttercup said, brightening up.  "I mean, it was just a legend before, but that journal we found was the _proof_!  We really _can_ bring the Earth back!"

                Blossom leaned over the back of the pilot's seat and said, "I'm getting used to it out here…there's so much to see and do…but I'd gladly give it all up to be back on Earth again."  The other girls nodded.  "Just imagine it…soaring over wide open meadows of flowers once again…"

                "All the beautiful colors…" Bubbles sighed, happily, "…the sun setting over the ocean…"

                "Birds chirping during the day, crickets during the night…" Buttercup said.  "Watching the full moon…looking up at…the stars…"  To the other girls' surprise, tears formed in Buttercup's eyes.  She quickly turned away and wiped them.

                "I know how you feel, Buttercup," Blossom said.  "I know the Earth means a lot to you.  It means a lot to us, too."

                Buttercup sniffed, turning back to them, toughening up a little, "I'm fine…really…"

                Bubbles put a hand on her shoulder and said, "It's okay to cry sometimes.  Don't feel bad about it."

                Buttercup said, "Well, yeah…just don't think I'm gonna go soft on ya."  She smirked.

"Of course not…you're still the toughest person we know," Blossom said with a grin.  "You'll see…when we get the Earth back, you're going to be…"

Blossom never got to finish that statement, as the ship suddenly rocked violently.  The girls were literally thrown out of their seats, onto the ground.  Bubbles stuck her head up first and said, "What was _that_?!"

Getting, up also, Buttercup said, "I dunno, but whatever it was…"  She suddenly pointed at the window and said, "Look!  We're not moving anymore!"  Sure enough, although the stars had been streaking by the window just moments before, they were now stationary outside.

Without wasting any time, Blossom flew over to the controls, to find out what happened.  She said, "Something's pulled us out of faster-than-light travel."  The computer immediately brought up an analysis of the situation, and Blossom breathed a sigh of relief, since she wouldn't have known what to do, otherwise.

Bubbles looked over her shoulder, "So, what is it?"

Blossom read over the information on the screen and said, "It looks like we're caught in some beam fired from a nearby planet."  The ship rolled around by itself, and they saw a large, cloudy planet looming below.  A multicolored beam was latched onto their ship, originating from the planet surface below

"Why are we heading for the planet?  Turn us around!" Buttercup said urgently.

"I can't," Blossom said, trying to work the controls.  "The beam's pulling us in!"  The ship passed through a cloud cover in the atmosphere, and they could see a jungle-like setting below.  They dropped towards the planet surface with greater speed.  Afraid they were going to crash, the girls all screamed together, grabbing hold of their seats to brace themselves for the impact…

The ship suddenly jarred to a stop, a mere fifty feet above the ground.  The beam slowly and gently lowered the ship the rest of the way to the ground.  The girls were shocked, but still all right.  With a few small bumps, the ship set down in the jungle below.

"Everyone all right?" Blossom asked, releasing her grip on the chair.

Buttercup nodded, "All good here."

"Now what?" Bubbles asked.

"I guess we go outside and see what brought us down here…" Blossom said.  They all flew out of their seats and over to the hatch leading outside.  After checking a status display to be sure the air outside was breathable, they opened the hatch.  A wave of hot air from outside rolled in, and they carefully peeked outside.  It was indeed a thick jungle out there, although the plants were all alien-looking, giving the landscape a very surreal look.

"The beam came from that way," Blossom said, pointing.  "We'd better go see what made it, so we can shut it off."

"Right," Buttercup agreed.  "Whoever did this will be sorry…"

They carefully made their way through the 'trees' in the jungle.  After only about a minute's worth of travel, they came into a large clearing.  There, in the middle, was a small metal bunker, only about twenty feet long on each side, with a radar dish that pointed into the sky.  It looked like it had recently been installed, since it had no overgrowth of vines or other plants, and still even looked clean.

"Careful," Blossom warned, as they slowly approached it.

As they did, the door to the bunker slid open.  They watched as a towering form emerged.  They immediately recognized what it was…a Galactic Monitor.  The number 14 was displayed on his shoulders.  However, unlike previous Monitors they've seen, this one wasn't a solid green.  He had a few black markings panted across its frame.

Buttercup spoke up, "All right, what's the big idea?"

Monitor 14 spoke, "You will accompany this unit to the ship.  You are now prisoners."

"What did we do?" Bubbles asked.  She broke off, though, as she spotted something on his chest armor, a _very_ small emblem…and a very familiar one, at that… "Girls!  He's one of those guys!  The Geeya…him…"

Blossom spotted the emblem now, too, and said, "Gyahembu!  But…he's a Galactic Monitor, though…what's going on?"

"This unit is no longer a member of the Galactic Monitors," Monitor 14 answered, continuing his slow advance towards them.  "Belfiust, the Gyahembu commander, has promised this unit a substantial reward for the capture of the three Earthlings."

Buttercup narrowed her eyes…_Another bounty hunter_, she thought.  "We're not goin' without a fight!"

"Your proposal is acceptable."  With that, Monitor 14 raised his arms, and a hatch slid open on top of each of them.  Two weapon barrels emerged from them, and he aimed them towards the Powerpuff Girls.

_This isn't good_, Blossom thought.  _These guys are supposed to be really strong…we'll have to put everything we have into this fight.  Otherwise, we won't be going anywhere anytime soon…_

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	12. Monitor

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

CHAPTER 12:

"Monitor"

"Scatter!" Blossom quickly ordered…the Powerpuff Girls immediately took off, each in a different direction, as Monitor 14 opened fire at where they were a moment ago.  Bright white bolts of energy leapt from his weapons and ripped through the dense foliage by the edge of the clearing.  The girls regrouped in the air, looking down at the Monitor who, in return, aimed his weapons up at them.

"All right, we've gotta make this good," Blossom shouted.  "Plan delta-rho-eight, go!"  As another volley of blasts shot up at them, they split up and surrounded him from a distance on three sides, in a triangular formation.  They flew a circle around him once to try and confuse him, then opened fire with their eyebeams on each side.

Unfortunately, his armor turned out to be as tough as it looked.  The beams struck his frame, but didn't show any signs of damage.  He was staggered a little by the impacts, but was otherwise unaffected.  "No good," Blossom said.  "We need something stronger…"

                Buttercup flew directly towards him from behind and said, "Let's see how he likes _this_!"  She raised a fist, ready to strike him in the back, but at that moment, the Monitor noticed her approach.  With a surprising level of agility for something so big, he slid to one side, the weapon on his right arm retracting back into its panel.

                Missing her target because of the dodge, Buttercup ended up soaring past him instead, and spun around.  The Monitor had activated some kind of sword-like weapon made of energy from his right arm, and was swinging it towards her.  She noticed it at the last second and bent backward to avoid the swing.  The bright red glowing 'sword' very narrowly missed her…she swore that it trimmed a few millimeters from her hair in the front.

                Buttercup gritted her teeth at the near-miss, and hovered back to a safe distance in a hurry.  She fired another blast from her eyebeams, but the Monitor raised the energy sword, rebounding it harmlessly away from him.

                Bubbles shouted, "Now what?  We can't get close to him!"

                "Maybe we can," Blossom shouted back.  "Plan Beta-Alpha-Two, now!"  Blossom and Buttercup quickly flew to opposite sides of the Monitor, who continued to try and hit them with blasts from his left arm's weapon.  Bubbles, in the meantime, dove into the ground, burrowing into it.  The other girls finally got into position, and both of them charged the Monitor's left and right sides simultaneously.

                He was about to jump aside, but Bubbles emerged from the ground directly beneath him and grabbed hold of his legs, holding him in place.  Blossom struck him on the left shoulder with a strong punch, while Buttercup struck his right side with a kick.  The impact caused some good-sized dents in his armor, and sent him off balance.

                Bubbles was about to pull his legs out from under him, but he recovered…he grabbed Blossom's leg with his left hand, and before she could try to break free, he swung her like a club into Buttercup, knocking her away.  He tugged one of his feet up from the ground fiercely, pulling Bubbles along with it, and with a strong snap of his leg, he kicked her off, flinging her into one of the treetops.

                Now that he had the upper hand once again, he raised the energy sword and was about to swing it at Blossom, who was still dangling by her leg from his grasp.  Although she was vulnerable in this position, she was hardly helpless.  She reached up and grabbed his fist with her arms, pulling on it.  Just in time, she pried the fingers apart and dropped safely to the ground underneath the blade's swing.

                From here, she had a good, clear shot at his legs, so she kicked as hard as she could.  It knocked him off-balance, and a second later, he tottered backwards, landing on the ground with a *_THUD_*.  Blossom leapt into the air, and soared down towards his chest with both feet, but before she could strike him, he ignited a pair of thrusters on his feet and slid across the ground out of the way.

                Without shutting off his thrusters, the Monitor pushed his hands against the ground beneath him, changing his angle so that he stopped sliding across the ground, and flew up into the air instead.  His energy sword retracted from his right arm, and the blasters emerged again.

                Buttercup picked herself up from the ground where she had been knocked, and rubbed her head, "All right, that's it…no more Mrs. Nice Gal!"  In a flash of green, she shot up from the ground, flying directly at the Monitor.  He started firing blasts at her, but she expertly weaved through them without getting hit.  In an instant, she was upon him, and struck him in the chest with a strong uppercut.

                She was surprised, though, because she didn't do as much damage as she had expected.  Another dent had formed in his chest armor, but it stood up amazingly well under such a powerful blow.  Before she could back up, the Monitor brought both of his arms around, grasping her in a bear hug.  Buttercup gasped…she was constricted, and could barely breathe.

                Blossom shouted, "Buttercup!" and started firing her eyebeams again, trying to strike him in the arm or _something_ to get him to let go of her sister.  He simply dodged to one side, not releasing his grasp.  Buttercup continued struggling, but found it impossible to break free…

                Just then, Bubbles emerged from the trees where she had been kicked.  She flew down to the bottom of the same tree and tugged on it, uprooting it.  Flying up, she swung it in a giant arc, and it slammed into the Monitor's side.  The blow knocked him down towards the ground at an angle.  He released his hold on Buttercup halfway down, and she immediately flew to safety before he impacted into the ground.

                The Monitor had swiveled around just before hitting, however, and landed on his hands and feet in a crouched stance, almost like he was kneeling.  The girls flew back together in the air above him, and he slowly stood back.

                "Man, he just won't go down…" Buttercup coughed, still regaining her breath.

                "You're right," Blossom said, also a little tired.  "We need to find some kind of weakness, fast…otherwise, he'll just wear us down."

                Bubbles looked worried, "I don't think he _has_ a weakness."

                While they were talking, the Monitor retracted the blasters back into his arms.  He held his hands out, and a small, round hatch on the palms slid open.  "Watch out!  He's up to something!" Blossom exclaimed.  They prepared to dodge whatever it was he was going to throw at them, but they weren't prepared for what he _did_ do…

                A burst of sonics came from his palms, causing the entire area to tremor from the high- and low-pitched noise.  The girls clamped their hands over their ears, trying to block it out, but it was far too loud.  They suddenly found it difficult to stay airborne…whatever the sonics were doing, they were causing havoc with their equilibrium, and the girls were overcome with vertigo.

                Buttercup tried to see straight so she could get a shot off at the Monitor, but she couldn't…she reeled dizzily and finally descended, landing on the ground once again.  The Monitor immediately stopped the sonics, and another set of panels slid open on the back of one of his hands.  A bright green net, looking like it was made of energy, launched out of it towards Buttercup.  Dizzy as she was, she couldn't avoid it in time, and it surrounded her, holding her in place.

                "Rrrg!" Buttercup grunted, trying to break free, "Lemme go!"  Blossom and Bubbles were just beginning to recover from the sonics, and they saw what happened to her.  The Monitor already had his blasters out again, though, and was opening fire on them to keep them away from her.  They flew behind a stand of trees on the edge of the clearing to take cover from the shots.

                "This is too much!" Blossom exclaimed from their hiding place.  "What _else_ does this guy have in his bag of tricks?"

                "We tried _everything_…" Bubbles said, "…and we barely made a couple of _dents_ in him…"

                Blossom suddenly smiled, and said, "Not _everything_.  Bubbles…plan pi-alpha-three, ready?"

                Bubbles smiled back and nodded, "Ready!"

                As Monitor 14 was walking towards Buttercup, Blossom suddenly burst out from behind cover.  The Monitor, waiting for the instant she would make her move, already had his blasters trained on her and was firing away, trying to hit her.  She duck under his first barrage of shots, taking a deep breath at the same time…by the time she flew above his second barrage, she was ready.  She exhaled, unleashing a blast of her ice breath across him.

It was hard to tell if the move surprised him or not, since he was expressionless, but in any case, it managed to hit him.  He was encased in ice, frozen solid, and his joints whirred in protest as they tried to move.  Now that it was safe to come out, Bubbles flew from behind the tree and took a deep breath of her own, releasing a high-pitched scream…the waves from her powerful sonic attack struck the Monitor head-on, and although it shattered the ice from him, it also managed to blast him off of his feet, where he clattered to the ground nearby.

Blossom flew over and sliced through the green energy net that held Buttercup with her eyebeams, freeing her from it.  Buttercup pulled the rest of the net off of herself, which disintegrated as it broke up, and said, "Thanks, Bloss!"

"No problem," she replied.  They all took a glance over at the fallen robot, who was lying on his back, unmoving.  Even the optical light on his head was out.  They cautiously flew over and looked down at him.

"I think we got him," Bubbles said, "but just to make sure…"  She flew down, and pulled her fist back, ready to smash in the head.  Just before she punched, though, the optical light suddenly turned back on.  It startled them all, and before they could do anything, the robot reached up and grabbed Bubbles.  Due to the size of his hand, only the top of her head and eyes were visible.  She gave a muffled shout…

Blossom quickly swung a kick to the Monitor's head.  The optic light was shattered, and he released his hold on Bubbles, reaching up to try and swat Blossom away.  Buttercup had already moved down to his chest, though, and started unleashing a flurry of blows at it…cracks started to form in the armor, and finally it shattered, revealing the complex circuitry underneath.

All three girls flew back from him and fired their eyebeams together on that unprotected spot.  There was a small internal explosion, and electricity began sparking across his entire frame.  He tried to stand back up, but was nearly immobilized.  In a broken voice, he said, "This…unit must…capture the Earthl--…error…repair sys--…sys--….--tems nonfunc--…error…err--…--rror"

Taking this as a cue to get to a safe distance, the girls flew up into the sky, and Monitor 14 exploded in a tremendous shower of sparks and metal that flew out in all directions.  When it finally settled, the monitor's head landed in the clearing, sparked a few times, and lay still.

Blossom wiped her forehead, and said, "Whew…that was close…"

"No kidding," Buttercup panted.  "No wonder they use those guys as law enforcement.  They're _tough!_  It took all _three_ of us to bring _one_ down…"

Blossom looked back at the bunker and said, "Ok, it's time to take it out.  Eyebeams!"  All three of them concentrated their eyebeams together on the bunker.  The metal on the outside heated up, and the entire thing melted into a pool of molten metal.

"Piece of cake, right?" Buttercup said with a smirk.

Bubbles said, "I guess so.  We can take off now?"

"Absolutely," Blossom said.  "With that bunker gone, we won't get pulled back down here again.  It's time to get off this planet and get to Checkpoint Station 41.  We've lost a little time, but not much."

They hurried back to Xianea's ship…it was still several hours to their meeting with Mojo, and they weren't that far from the station, but they decided it would probably be best to be there ahead of time, so that they have an opportunity to rest up before they attempt their rescue operation.  As they headed back, Bubbles couldn't help but think, _I hope they don't keep sending these guys after us.  I need time to rest, I don't know if I can keep up with any more of these fights…but we're going to have to do a lot more fighting to rescue Xianea.  Oh, I hope she's all right…_

*              *                *

                Xianea sat quietly in her cell, somewhere within the Paradise Fringe station.  They had tossed her in there a while back, with the cryptic warning that they had plans for her.  That was a few hours ago, and they still hadn't come back.

                Her thoughts were on the Powerpuff Girls.  _They're all alone again,_ she thought.  _If only there were some way I could still help them…but I'm powerless to do anything in here…_

                The door to her cell slid open, and she sat up.  Two of the large Gyahembu guards entered, and two more figures.  One was Drax Kanard, the bounty hunter that had captured her, and next to him…she had never seen him in person before, but she still recognized him as Belfiust, the head of the Gyahembu.

                Belfiust narrowed his eyes at her and said, "So, Centraxian…we have you at last.  It's a shame you had to be involved with the little incident involving Ykrsk's release.  It's those Earthlings we _really_ want.  And now that we have you, they'll undoubtedly come to rescue you."

                Xianea tried to avoid eye contact with him.  She knew that he spoke the truth.  It was in their nature to help out people in danger, and the girls would probably be flying right into their trap.  She didn't want to say anything that would confirm this, but even her silence told them enough.

                "Although," Belfiust said, scratching his chin thoughtfully, "something puzzles me.  We've been keeping track of some of your activities lately…some of our contacts told us that you flew directly into Hkratth territory, just so you could visit their library.  That seems a little unusual to _me_, risking one's life just for a little bit of knowledge.  So why did you do it?"

                Xianea finally looked him in the eyes, and said matter-of-factly, "I'm a Centraxian, that's our purpose."

                "Yes, but the Earthlings _aren't_ Centraxians," he said back.  "Yet, our sources say that it was _their_ idea.  So what are you _really_ looking for?"

                Xianea said nothing in return, staying firm against his questioning.  _I can't let them know_, he thought.  _The danger is far too great…_

                Belfiust gave a small chuckle and shook his head, saying, "I didn't expect you to be cooperative.  Well, it doesn't really matter.  I suppose you're probably expecting us to try some cheap trick, such as torture or whatnot, to get you to talk.  We don't resort to such crude methods…no, we have something much more reliable, don't we?"

                Drax stepped forward, pulling a small, round device from his belt.  Xianea's eyes widened slightly as she recognized what it was.  The Repository of Knowledge back on Centraxia was equipped with the only device capable of reading the knowledge contained within a Centraxian's genetic programming.  This technology was forbidden to others, and in fact, its use was forbidden outside of the Repository itself.  However, other species have sought to duplicate the technology, and some have succeeded on a small, less-efficient scale.

                This device was one of those that were built from this technology.  She was suddenly seized with dread…her own genetic programming was going to betray their plans to the Gyahembu…and worse, they would likely find out everything she knows about the Powerpuff Girls as well…knowledge that could be used against them…

                The two guards grabbed her arms, holding her down, while Drax fixed the device onto her forehead.  A jolting surge ran through her body as it began its scan.  She clenched her teeth against the pain that this inefficient device invariably caused, and shut her eyes tightly.  Drax continued to examine the readouts from it, as he accessed the information he was looking for.

                After a few long minutes of searching, he gave a grunt of satisfaction as he found what he was looking for.  "It appears they went to the library to find a journal written by one of the Zadron.  They're now looking for another member of that same race named Ghoraan, who apparently knows the precise location of…"

He hesitated, re-reading the display.  Belfiust said, "Well?  The location of what?"

"The Omega Particle," Drax said slowly.  "It actually _exists_…"

"Hmm…" Belfiust said, a smile slowly creeping across his face.  "Really…if I could get my hands on that, why…we'd be the greatest power in the galaxy.  No, in the universe!"

Drax finished copying the rest of the information he needed, and detached the reader from Xianea's forehead.  She slumped back and gasped for air, relieved that it was over.  Drax hooked the device back on his belt, and said, "Now we prepare for the Earthlings' arrival…"

"Yes," Belfiust agreed.  "We have other important matters to attend to as well.  He turned around to the door of the cell, calling for his aide, "Hey!  I need you to check all our contacts…try to find a Zadron named Ghoraan.  Search _everywhere_…we _must_ find him!"

The guards released Xianea, and started out of the cell, following Belfiust.  Drax stayed for a few moments longer, and grinned cruelly, saying, "Thank you for the information.  You've been a _great_ help to us, Centraxian."  He laughed, and left the cell, sealing the door behind him.

Xianea collapsed onto the ground, partly from exhaustion, but also from grief.  Her worst fears had been realized…and the girls were going to be heading right into the heart of it.  She silently hoped that something could be done…they had to find Ghoraan before the Gyahembu did, or all was lost.  _Girls,_ she thought, _please hurry…but be careful.  Everything is depending on you, now…_

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	13. Security

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

CHAPTER 13:

"Security"

The rest of the trip to the checkpoint station was mostly uneventful.  Buttercup managed to figure out how to cook using the equipment on board, and was able to make a broiled ilyae root for everyone.  Or rather, _char_broiled, because she cooked them a little too long, and the outer skin of the roots ended up a crispy black color.  Still, it was edible, and not bad at all for her first try.

Checkpoint Station 41 was situated near one of the borders of the territory protected by galactic law.  This would be the last stop before heading out into the uncontrolled regions.  Blossom carefully docked the ship at the entrance.  She had no difficulties doing so; these maneuvers were quickly becoming second nature for her.

The three of them entered the station, passing through the terminals and giving their names and species, as they did before.  Thankfully, they were now on record, so they didn't have to go through the classification procedures again.  As the entered the heart of the station, they tried to decide what to do next while they waited.  Mojo wasn't due to show up for a while yet.

"Hey, look at this!" Blossom exclaimed, flying quickly over to a bank of terminals against the side of the 'lobby'.  The other girls followed as Blossom started typing at it.  "Information workstations.  Kind of like a mini-library.  Maybe we can learn more about some of the species around here."

"Do they have the Centraxians listed?" Bubbles asked.

"I'm sure they do, but we already _know_ all about them," Blossom said.  "I'd like to see if the Gyahembu come up in a search though."  Punching it up, an image of a species similar to the one they saw at Paradise Fringe was displayed.  "Yeah…they're comprised of lots of different species, but most of them are _these_ kind of guys."

Buttercup nodded, and pointed curiously to a list in the corner, "What's this?  It looks like a bunch of names…"

Blossom said, "Hey, yeah, you're right!  I think it's a list of people that have come through this way.  See the numbers next to them, how each one is larger than the one above it?  It's probably some kind of date or time."

"Cool," Bubbles said.  "Try putting Alyxk's name in there."

Blossom entered it, and a list of numbers rolled by.  "Heh…well now, if only we knew how to read the dates…"

"At least we know he came by this way," Buttercup pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right…say…"  On the offhand chance, Blossom punched in the name Ghoraan, and was surprised to see that there _was_ an entry for it.  She smiled, "Ghoraan's been this way!  He must still be alive!"

"Maybe," Buttercup said.  "Who knows how long it's been since that time, though?"

Bubbles was looking away from the screen and pointing, "I'll bet _he_ would…"  The other girls looked in the direction she was pointing, and saw another familiar face.  Alyxk was crossing the lobby, walking towards them.  The girls left the terminal and met him halfway.

"Powerpuff Girls," he greeted them, with his usual telepathic buzz.  "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Alyxk," Blossom said.  "Hey, you know, we were just looking for you…we could use your help…"

"You're attacking the Gyahembu?  Of course I'll help," Alyxk told them.

Blossom was startled for a moment, then remembered about him being telepathic.  "Do you have anything that can help us?"

Alyxk thought about it, "I can find you weapons on the market, if that's what you want.  You three have abilities better than most of the weapons I could probably find, though…"

"We don't need any weapons," Buttercup said.  "Our ship might, though…"

"You're still flying that Centraxian ship, are you?"  When the girls nodded, Alyxk continued, "Then you definitely need armament.  Ship-type weaponry will be easier to come by.  They have some at this very station.  It's illegal to _use_, except in self-defense, but you'll be outside the borders of galactic law _anyway_."

"Let's do that, then," Blossom said, nodding.  "Can you take care of it?"

"Sure, just give me a few hours to collect and install the equipment," Alyxk replied.  He grinned, "Don't worry, I'll include non-lethal weapons as well.  I figured that you don't like just destroying everything in your path.  I'll install ion cannons and EMP disruptors in addition to the normal blasters."

Bubbles, though, seemed a little concerned, "What'll this cost you?  How do we pay you back?"

Alyxk waved it off, "You're attacking the Gyahembu.  I still owe you a huge debt for rescuing Ykrsk.  Consider this payback."  He glanced over at the docking area, "I'd better get to work, then, if I want to get done before you leave…"

"That's okay, take your time," Blossom said.  "We're waiting for someone, anyway.  And thanks again for all your help!  It's great to have someone else we can count on out here…"

'Certainly, anytime," Alyxk said.  He gave a small bow, and headed off to begin the enhancements.

"The more help we get, the better this is gonna go," Buttercup said, watching him enter the docking bay.

"Yeah, five heads are better than three," Bubbles agreed.

A thought suddenly occurred to Blossom, and she said, "Girls, we need to come up with some new attack plans.  We don't have any involving a spaceship, you know.  I have a few ideas…"

Buttercup smirked, "Of course you do.  So do _I_, though.  Let's see whose is better!"  The girls all huddled together at one of the seats in the waiting area, each of them giving their suggestions for their new battle strategies.  Even Bubbles had a few good ideas that were included in the final plans.  This work took them a few hours, passing away the time until Mojo would arrive…

*              *                *

                _Why am I doing this?_ Mojo thought.  _These are the Powerpuff Girls…they are my worst enemies.  I would finally be accepted into the Gyahembu, simply by turning them in.  So why am I helping them?_  Mojo puzzled over these thoughts as he docked his ship at the checkpoint station.

                He emerged from the airlock, and thought, _Perhaps the loss of my home planet has softened me.  I would not like to think so…no, I am bad, I am _evil_…but Mojo also _always_ keeps his word, and I was foolish enough to give it to the Powerpuffs.  But this is irrelevant…I _am_ getting rewarded for this, so perhaps I am still on the course to becoming the mercenary that I had originally planned for myself, only not in the same precise method._

                He passed through the checkpoint station, saying, "Mojo Jojo.  Earth."  Thankfully, the Galactic Monitors didn't stop him this time.  They previously did not recognize his species the last time he passed through, and he had to undergo a brief examination.  They _had_ recognized his planet, though, and he thought that to be a little strange at the time, although now he surmised that it must have been because of the Powerpuff Girls.

                As he entered the heart of thee station, he spotted the girls waiting for him.  They immediately flew over, and Blossom said, "Hey, Mojo!  Glad you could make it!"

                "Yeah," Buttercup said, "though I'm almost surprised you actually showed…"

                "That makes two of us, Buttercup," Mojo growled.  "It would have been child's play to turn you over to them, but perhaps there _is_ something to this reward you promised me."

                "Don't worry, you'll get it," Blossom assured him.

                "I had _better,_" Mojo insisted.  "This is as risky for me as it is for you.  Riskier!  In your case, it is simply defiance, but in mine, it is _treason_.  However, I do not plan on being discovered, so we'll see how everything goes."

Bubbles nodded.  "So, what's the plan?"

                Mojo explained, "It is like this…I will fly ahead to Paradise Fringe, where I shall temporarily disable their long-range sensors, leaving them blind to what is occurring outside the range of their station.  You will still have to confront or evade their patrol ships, which will be undoubtedly watching for you, as they are already expecting your arrival to rescue this friend of yours."

                "That doesn't sound too bad," Buttercup said.  "What next?"

                "Next, you shall dock at Module 2," Mojo continued.  "It is the closest to the detention center, and will be the fastest way there.  By that time, I will have disabled their short-range sensors as well.  You must hurry, because I will only be able to mask their sensors for a short time, since a complete sensor grid shutdown such as I will be attempting will not go unnoticed by them."

                "Great!" Blossom said.  "When do we start?"

                "Right now…I will depart for Paradise Fringe at once.  Give me an hour to prepare before you begin your assault."  Mojo stuck out his hand to shake and said, "I never imagined I would ever utter these words, but…good luck, Powerpuff Girls."

                Blossom shook his hand, "Thanks…you too, Mojo."

                Mojo gave a *hmmph*, and turned around, heading back for his ship.  He thought to himself, _I must be losing my mind.  This is not like me at all.  No, forget it.  Just focus on the reward…_

*              *                *

                "How are we doing?" Bubbles asked.

                Blossom continued piloting the ship towards Paradise Fringe, the stars streaking past the window in front of them.  She said, "Not bad.  We're halfway there, and they haven't picked us up yet.  It looks like Mojo must have done it."

                "Cool," Buttercup said.  She and Bubbles were already wearing their spacesuits, in anticipation of the first part of their plan.  "What about the patrol ships?"

                "They're still ahead," Blossom replied.  "I'm going to slow us back down again before we hit them.  They'll pick us up for sure at our speed, but if we take it easy, we might be able to sneak past them without a fight."

                They watched the navigational screen, as they pulled closer to the defense line.  Finally, the ship was almost within their range, and Blossom initiated a reverse singularity to slow them down.  Everything lurched forward momentarily as the ship dropped out of faster-than-light travel.

                "Ok, you two better get to the airlocks.  I'll signal you when you need to go," Blossom ordered.

                "Right," Bubbles nodded.  She and Buttercup flew out of the cockpit, heading for the airlock, while Blossom armed the new weapons that were added to the ship.  The blasters and ion cannons came online, and the EMP disruptors started charging.

                Buttercup's voice came through the radio, "We're all set!"

                Blossom was about to respond, when the patrol ships came onto their scanners.  Immediately after getting within sensor range, the ships began an intercept course with them.  "All right, this is it…they've spotted us.  Launch!" Blossom said back to them.

                Buttercup and Bubbles opened the airlock and flew out, just as the small ships came into view.  They were tiny fighters, ten of them, and the computer immediately identified them as computer-controlled drones.  At least that meant they could use lethal force.  Buttercup said, "Launched!"

                "Plan Lambda-Beta-1!" Blossom shouted, kicking the speed up a little, flying directly towards them.  The other girls flanked the ship as it approached.  The drone ships opened fire on Xianea's ship, but Blossom rolled it to the side, and the blasts harmlessly passed around it.  She opened fire with her own blasters, striking the lead two ships dead-on.  The ships exploded, and the other patrol ships broke from their formation, flying to the left and right.

                Buttercup and Bubbles were prepared, however, and intercepted the ships from each side.  They each managed to grab hold of a ship as it flew by them.  They couldn't hold on for long, because of the thrust the ships were putting out, but they had enough time to twist them around so that they were facing each other.  They both released, and the ships shot forward, both of them colliding and exploding.

                The remaining six ships circled around and began another attack run.  One of them got on Blossom's tail, and she said, "Plan Lambda-Beta-4, hurry!"  A few blasts nicked the rear shields, causing the ship to shake up a little.  She weaved around to dodge the other blasts.

                Moments later, Blossom and Bubbles had circled around and approached the ship from the sides.  They each grabbed hold of one of its wings, pulling it to a halt.  While they did this, Blossom spun the ship around quickly, and fired a quick series of shots directly at the ship that they held.  At the last instant, the girls released and flew back, just before the shots impacted, destroying the ship.

                Buttercup grinned…so far, the new Lambda-Beta plans were working flawlessly.  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted three of the remaining ships coming in, and said, "Blossom…think maybe Lambda-Beta-9 would work here?"

                "Good call…go for it!" Blossom said.  Buttercup flew off away from the group and headed for the three ships.  They took shots at her, but didn't even come close to hitting something as small as she was.  They were prepared to change course, when Blossom fired a shot from the ship's EMP disruptors.  The brilliant blue wave of energy passed through all three fighters…they were disabled, electricity sparking across their frames.  That was all that Buttercup needed…charging forward, she smashed right through all three ships shoulder-first, and they exploded behind her.

The remaining two ships turned and looked like they were ready to flee back to the station, to warn the Gyahembu that they were coming.  Bubbles had already flown around and blocked off their escape, though.  As they passed by her, she punched the side of one, knocking it slightly off-course.  It was just enough to cause it to crash into the other, and they exploded in a final bright display.

"Way to go, girls!" Blossom congratulated them.  "It should be smooth sailing from here on in, at least until we reach the station."  She lined up the ship for the singularity jump and added, "Let's get moving, we need to get there before they find out that their patrol ships are gone."

Bubbles and Buttercup returned to the ship, flying in through the airlock.  As soon as they were safely on-board, Blossom made the singularity jump, continuing on their way.  _That was almost too easy, _Blossom thought.  _I just hope that Mojo manages to disable those sensors, or we'll be flying right into a trap…_

*              *                *

                In the control room at Paradise Fringe, the two technicians manning the controls frowned at the readouts.  "This is strange," one of them said.  "We haven't heard back from Patrol-2 yet.  They were due for a report five minutes ago."

                "Probably just some interference," the other one said.  "Some ion storm or…possibly a…"  He trailed off as he noticed something else.  One of the ships departing the station from the other side passed out of short-range sensors, and simply vanished.  "Something's wrong…why aren't the long-range sensors following that ship?"

                The doors slid open behind them.  They turned to look, but no one entered.  Shrugging, they returned their gazes to the console, and the first one said, "Run a complete diagnostic of those sensors, and contact Belfiust imme—"

                Before he could finish, the doors started to slide shut, but a figure dashed through the opening just before it did.  A beam shot out from the weapon in his hands, striking the two technicians from behind.  A green energy surrounded both of them, and they collapsed out of their chairs, immobilized.

                Mojo dropped his weapon to the ground and hurried over to the control panel.  With a grin, he punched a few buttons and said, "And now, they are blinded.  My work here is completed…I must return to my ship and escape before anyone discovers that I was the one responsible for helping the Powerpuff Girls…"

                Alarms started going off, as Mojo expected.  By the time they got here, though, Mojo would be long gone.  He turned and hurried out of the control room, scooping up his weapon and taking it with him on the way out.__

*              *                *

                Belfiust, who was seated behind his desk in his office, heard alarms going off around him.  Raising an eyebrow, he checked his display panel, and gritted his teeth angrily.  "What is going on here?"  He opened the communications channel to the control room and said, "Control!  Why are our sensors all offline?"

                There was no response.  He blinked a few times, then opened a different channel and said, "Drax, I believe we're under attack, or _will_ be shortly.  Prepare all security personnel as expected."

                Drax's voice came back, "Right away."  Belfiust nodded and turned to look out of the window.  The attack had begun on them, as they had expected, but it turned out that the Earthlings were craftier than he had predicted.  He was confident that they still wouldn't succeed.  After all, he had a trick or two for them along the way…

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	14. Rescue

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

CHAPTER 14:

"Rescue"

Xianea's ship came out of faster-than-light travel, coming into view near Paradise Fringe.  As the girls looked out of the window at the station, they saw that there weren't any ships waiting for them.  The plan had succeeded…they hadn't detected their presence, and were unprepared for the assault.

_Mojo, you did it,_ Blossom thought.  _Way to go!_  "All right," she said, "I'm bringing the ship in.  We don't want to waste any time…as soon as I dock, let's roll!  Remember, head straight for the detention center, and then straight back once we rescue Xianea."

"Ready when you are, Bloss," Buttercup said.  Her expression was fierce and determined, but she was smiling, like she was anticipating the fight.  Bubbles, next to her, nodded and prepared herself for the battle as well.

The ship soared across to the docking module, and Blossom carefully moved it into position, slowly attaching the ship's airlock to the station.  There weren't any other ships docked at that particular module…Blossom thought that was a little odd, but didn't give it much thought.  After a few moments, the maneuver was completed, and the ship was secure.  The girls immediately flew over to the airlock, passing through into the station.

There were alarms going off.  Other than the steady buzz of the alarms, though, things were fairly quiet.  They saw no one in the corridor, not even any guards.  This caught them a little by surprise.  "They must know we're coming," Blossom said.  "They probably all pulled back to guard the detention center."

"We can take 'em," Buttercup said confidently.

"Right!" Bubbles agreed.  "So what are we waiting for?  Let's go!"

Without any further hesitation, the girls burst into high speed, flying through the corridors of the station in a hurry, leaving brightly colored trails of pink, blue, and green in their wake.  The station really looked empty…not a single person was around.

_They must have done more than just pull the guards back,_ Blossom thought.  _They must have evacuated this entire module.  Probably didn't want anyone getting in the way of the fight.  But that doesn't really sound like the Gyahembu for some reason…so why did they do it?_

A thought suddenly occurred to Blossom and she stopped dead in her tracks.  "Girls!  It's a trap!  Quick, back to the ship!"

"What?" Bubbles and Buttercup said together.  Blossom shot back the way they came, and the girls followed.  As they started back up the corridors, they became aware of a rumbling sound in the distance.  _She's right, it _is_ a trap, _Buttercup thought_…what are they doing?_

They were quick to find out.  As they reached the row of airlocks leading back to their ship, they were seized by a powerful wind…the other airlocks along that row, and likely all over the rest of the module, were wide open…the air was being sucked out of the module and into space.  Yelping with surprise, the girls struggled against the heavy pull of the vacuum outside.

Blossom managed to make it to the opposite wall and grabbed hold of a pipeline running along the side.  Buttercup grabbed hold as well, and Bubbles hung onto her legs.  Carefully, Blossom worked her way hand-over-hand, inching towards the airlock for their own ship.

Buttercup struggled, however, just to keep her grip, "Can't…hold on…hurry, Blossom!"

After a few more moments, Blossom made it to the airlock door that lead to their ship, pulling herself through.  Buttercup gritted her teeth, trying to hold on, but one of her arms slipped.  She still held on with the other, but the sudden change in position caused Bubbles to lose her grip on her legs.  With a shriek, she was pulled towards the airlock…

"No!" Buttercup shouted.  Bubbles stuck an arm out at the last instant, grabbing hold of the airlock's edge.  Her feet dangled out of the airlock in space.  "Hang on, Bubbles!  Don't let go!"  
                "Help!" Bubbles screamed, "I'm slipping!  _I'm_ _slipping!_"  Buttercup looked around for something, _anything_…but there was nothing around that could help her out.  While she tried desperately to think of something, the airlock leading to their ship opened, and Blossom flew out, wearing her spacesuit.  She had the other two spacesuits tucked under one of her arms.

She saw the position that Bubbles was in, and realized she had to act fast, crossing the corridor quickly.  Bubbles lost her grip, but less than an instant later, Blossom grabbed hold of her arm.  She braced her feet on the ground and slowly started taking a few steps backwards, pulling Bubbles back into the station.

It was finally becoming easier to move, now that the air in the station was getting thinner, but it was becoming more difficult to breathe as well.  Bubbles and Buttercup both took a deep breath and held it, before the last of the air was sucked out of the station.  Thankfully, their physiology protected them from the vacuum of space, but they still wouldn't be able to hold that air for long.  Now that they were no longer being pulled towards the still-open airlocks, they were able to hastily don their spacesuits.

Able to breathe once again, the two released the breaths they were holding, and leaned up against the wall thankfully.  "That was way too close," Buttercup remarked.

"Yeah," Bubbles agreed, panting.  "I thought I was a goner…"

After a few more moments of rest, Blossom said, "All right, let's get moving…with any luck, they'll think the trap worked, and they won't be expecting us to attack…"  No sooner than she had said that, but she noticed what looked like security cameras on the corridor ceiling.  "Nevermind, they probably already know…let's not waste any more time, c'mon!"

*              *                *

                The three guards in front of the detention block had their weapons raised and aimed down each of the corridors at that intersection.  Their orders were to shoot at the first sign of trouble…but so far, it had been quiet.

                "Maybe the trap worked," one of the guards said to another.

                "Maybe," the second guard replied, "but we're still not moving until Belfiust gives us the okay…"

                The third guard shushed them, "Quiet…do you hear that?"  As the guards strained to hear, they became aware of a sound far off in the distance…it sounded like some of the airlock doors, and it was coming from the direction of the module where the girls landed.  They tightened their grips on their weapons, keeping a close watch.

                Everything remained amazingly quiet after that…only the constant buzz of the alarms.  Then, suddenly, they heard another sound…it was a scurrying sound, like something crawling across the ground, but it was coming from the walls, and seemed to be coming from different directions.  It sounded crazily like something was crawling along the walls, but was invisible somehow.

                "What's going on?  Show yourself!" one of the guards shouted.  The scurrying sound continued, until suddenly three different vents leading to the ventilation shafts kicked open simultaneously.  The Powerpuff girls leapt out from them, mere feet from each of the guards.  Each of them was still wearing their spacesuits, but their helmets were off, each tucked under one of their arms.  The guards tried to swing their weapons around, but the girls were upon them in less than an instant.  With a quick shot of eyebeams from each of them, the guards' weapons were blasted right out of their hands.

                The guards staggered back, and tried to draw a second weapon, but the girls followed up their eyebeams with a quick flurry of punches and kicks, knocking them flat on the ground, unconscious.  Buttercup dusted her hands off, and said, "Three down…none to go."

                "Now, come on, I'm sure that wasn't _all_ of them…" Blossom reminded her.

                "I know, I know," Buttercup said.  "Let's just break Xianea out of there and get going before more of them show up."  All three of them left their helmets on the ground outside the door, and opened it.

                As it slid open, they saw someone standing in the middle of the detention center.  They recognized him instantly as Drax Kanard, the bounty hunter who had deceived them and captured Xianea.  A large laser rifle was in one hand, and another strange looking pistol-like device in the other.  He looked up as the girls entered with a crafty grin.

                "It's you!" Bubbles said.

                "That's right," Drax replied.  "I see you've come to rescue your friend.  I'm afraid I can't allow that.  You'll have to get past me first."

                "Fine!" Buttercup shouted.  "You asked for it!"  She charged forward, fists at the ready.  Drax just stood there as she approached, not budging a muscle.  She was across the room in less than a split-second, but at the last moment, Drax dropped down to the ground, raising the pistol and firing it at point-blank range.

                A blue sphere of energy struck her dead-center, and when it did, it expanded and surrounded her, trapping her within it.  The sphere bounced across the ground a couple of times before rolling into a corner of the room and coming to a rest.  Buttercup, still inside it, blinked a few times in surprise, then started punching at the sphere, but it wouldn't give.

                "Buttercup!" Bubbles exclaimed.

                "Well now, _that_ was easy," Drax said confidently.  "So who's next?"

                Bubbles was about to attack, but Blossom said, "No, Bubbles, wait!  Plan Sigma-Delta-12, ready?"  Bubbles nodded, and faced Drax, smiling.  He frowned back and raised his rifle, waiting for them to make their move.

                They each took off in separate directions, circling around Drax.  As he watched, they continued circling him at a high speed, barely visible except for the pink and blue trails they left behind, surrounding him like a tornado.  Though the move was meant to confuse him, his expression became disdainful, and he said, "Oh _please_…"  With that, he fired a shot from his pistol at the blur, striking one of them with another energy sphere.

                Bubbles came to a stop and watched in dread as the second sphere bounced to the ground.  Blossom pushed against it, but she was trapped.  "Oh no!" Bubbles said.  "Blossom!"

                "Hmph," Drax scoffed.  "I thought you three would be a challenge, but I see I am sadly mistaken.  Ah well, a job is a job."  He holstered his pistol and raised his rifle instead, "Now, for the _final_ Earthling…"

                A narrow beam of bright orange energy shot out from the rifle, and Bubbles dodged it with a cry of alarm.  She flew down and took cover behind a small console.  Drax laughed and said, "I can't believe Belfiust was so worried about you Earthlings.  You're _nothing_!  You're a _joke_!  A bunch of little _children_, nothing more…"

                Bubbles clenched her teeth, as a rage built within her.  She leapt out from behind cover and let loose a piercing sonic scream, which caused the whole room to shake, and caused Drax to throw his hands over his ears in shock, dropping his rifle in the process.  It did more than that, though…the force of the soundwaves disrupted the energy spheres surrounding Blossom and Buttercup…they rippled strangely, and suddenly shattered like glass, dissolving into the air and freeing them.

                Drax was still reeling from the attack, when all three girls flew towards him at the same time.  Eyes widening in alarm, he jumped up high, reaching the ceiling in a single leap, and grabbed hold of one of the supports.  The girls stopped beneath him and looked up at him.  Before they could do anything else, though, Drax had clicked a button on his belt.

                A greenish field of energy surrounded him, and he became transparent.  "It's time for me to return to my ship," He called out.  "I _could_ continue fighting you now, but I'd probably _lose_, given the circumstances.  Next time we meet, however, you won't be so lucky.  Enjoy this brief victory while you can!"  The girls tried to fly up after him, but before they could reach him, he vanished.

                "Nuts!  I owe him a good wallop in the face…" Buttercup said angrily.

                "Let him go for now," Blossom said.  "We still have Xianea to rescue, and he won't be in our way anymore."

                Just as she said this, Xianea's voice called out from one of the cells, "I'm in here!"  The girls rushed over and looked through the window on the cell…sure enough, it was Xianea, up against the glass and looking back at them.  They both looked overjoyed to see each other.

                "Xianea!  Are you all right?"  Bubbles asked.

                "I'm fine," she answered.  "Girls, it's great to see you again!  I knew you would come to rescue me…although I was afraid, too, because you were walking into a trap on my account.  I would never have been able to forgive myself if you were hurt because of me…"

                "Same with us," Blossom told her.  "That's why we _had_ to rescue you."

                Xianea smiled, and stepped back from the door, so that the girls could break through it.  Buttercup fired her eyebeams and cut a large hole in it, the section she cut away landing on the ground with a loud *CLANNG*.  Xianea climbed out of the opening, happy to be free at last.

                They all had so many things to say, but Blossom decided that they could talk about it later, and said, "We need to get out of here before more guards show up…"

                "Right!" Xianea and the other girls said together.  Hurrying out of the detention center, they began back for their ship, the girls scooping their helmets up from the ground where they had left them as they went…

*              *                *

                "They _what?!_" Belfiust shouted, enraged.

                His aide cowered slightly and said in a meek voice, "Th-they got away, sir…the Centraxian was freed by the Earthlings, a-and apparently Mr. Kanard has fled…"

                "Prepare my ship at once!  And send all  fighters with it!" Belfiust ordered.  As the aide rushed out, he clenched a fist and said aloud to no one in particular, "Must I do _everything_ myself ?"

*              *                *

                Xianea's ship, now with Xianea back at the helm once again, rocketed away from the station and made a singularity jump, starting them back on their way to controlled galactic space.  Xianea breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'm amazed that you could overcome all those defenses to rescue me…"

                "We had some help," Blossom said.  "We ran into another survivor from Earth…"

                "Really?" Xianea said, surprised.

                "Yeah," Bubbles said, "and he turned off their sensors so they couldn't see us coming."

                Buttercup nodded and pointed at the control panel, "Plus, we ran into Alyxk again, and he installed some weapons on your ship…I, er, hope you don't mind…"

                Xianea was a little disconcerted at that, but said, "No, it's okay.  If it was necessary for the rescue, then it's all right with me."

                Before another word could be said, their sensors picked up a large number of ships approaching them from behind, almost fifty of them, also moving at faster-than-light speeds.  "Uh oh, we've got company!" Buttercup exclaimed.

                "Gyahembu ships…" Xianea said.  "That one in the lead looks like Belfiust's ship.  I guess he's not going to just stand by and watch us leave…"

                "What now?" Bubbles asked.

                Xianea smiled slightly and said, "Now, we drop out of faster-than-light travel."  With that, she activated the singularity generators, pulling their ship to a stop once again.  The girls weren't prepared for this, and were jolted forward a little by it.

                "Hey!  What…" Blossom began, but then saw outside the window where they had stopped.  They were almost upon one of the checkpoint stations that bordered controlled galactic space.  What's more, the Monitors must have detected the Gyahembu's approach, because at least a dozen of their ships were scrambled in preparation.

                The Gyahembu fleet appeared into view in a burst of singularities, and they could see Belfiust's ship starting to come about, like he had realized his error and was attempting to flee.  Before he could, however, the Monitors were upon them.  Even though they were greatly outnumbered, the Monitors were far more powerful, and in no time, their ion cannons had disabled all of the ships, including Belfiust's.

                They watched this from the window of their own ship, and Blossom asked, "What's going to happen to them now?"

                "They'll be arrested under Galactic Law," Xianea replied.  "Belfiust is a wanted criminal to them.  They haven't been able to do anything about it in the past, because he's always stayed outside of their borders, beyond their jurisdiction.  He was so concerned with catching us, though, that it probably slipped his mind for a moment.  He'll regret _that_ mistake."

                As the Monitors began apprehending the ships, towing them back to the station, Xianea maneuvered the ship into docking position at the station's entry port.  They went through the usual procedures, exiting the ship and passing through the security terminals, moving into the station.  As they did, Blossom made a beeline for one of the information workstations, typing into it.

                Xianea walked over to her and asked, "What are you looking for?"

                "The last time we were at one of these stations," Blossom explained, still typing, "we looked up Ghoraan's name, and it actually showed up.  I wanted to see if he's been by _this_ way, too."

                The other girls hovered over as well, looking over their shoulders to see the results of the search.  His name was indeed brought up on the list.  Xianea peered carefully at the date and said, "This is strange…that's today's date, and the time of his arrival was barely five minutes ago…."

                Reflexively, the girls looked around the lobby, in case he was nearby.  They didn't immediately see him, but then they spotted a small figure seated off to one side, wearing a heavy cloak and sitting there staring at the ground, as though lost in deep though.  They couldn't see his face from behind the hood of his cloak, but the size and shape of him was perfect…it looked like their search for the last remaining Zadron was over almost before it started…

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	15. Elder

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

CHAPTER 15:

"Elder"

Curiously, they wandered over to the cloaked figure.  Bubbles, the most hopeful, spoke up first, "Ghoraan?"

There was no answer.  She flew down near the ground, trying to fly into his field of view, and she got a clear look at his face.  It _was_ Ghoraan…he looked like he was a Zadron, just like the person who had written the journal from the Hkratth library.  He wasn't lost in thought, however…he was asleep.

The other girls noticed this as well, finally, and Buttercup said, "So…do we wake him?"

Xianea reached out, placing a hand gently on his shoulder, and said, "Sir…"

With a start, Ghoraan woke up, jumping slightly.  It was so sudden that it scared everyone else a little, causing them to jump also.  He mumbled, "Hm?  Wha?"

"Pardon us for waking you up, sir," Blossom said, "but…is your name Ghoraan?"

He looked back at her with his large, bulbous eyes and said, "Yes…yes, that's me…and who are you?"

Smiles crossed all three of the girls' faces, and Blossom said, "My name's Blossom…this is Bubbles and Buttercup.  We're from the planet Earth…er, the _former_ planet Earth…our planet was recently destroyed by a collision with an asteroid."

Bubbles pointed to Xianea and added happily, "This is Xianea…she's been helping us look for you…and now we finally found you!"

"Eh?  Xianea?"  He looked up at her, and said, "Ah…a Centraxian, yes…hm."

Xianea said, "It is an honor to meet you, Ghoraan."

Straining a few muscles, Ghoraan pulled himself to his feet from where he was sitting.  The girls flew over to help him up, but he shook his head, "That's very kind of you, but I can make it…"  He stood up straight, stretching for a moment and massaging his back with one hand.

"Are you all right?" Buttercup asked.

"Bah, don't worry about it, I'm just old…" Ghoraan insisted.  "Now…why were you looking for me, hm?"

"Well…you're the last remaining Zadron, and…" Blossom began.

Ghoraan's eyes widened slightly, and he interrupted, "Ah, so you know.  That's right, I'm the eldest Zadron.  Well, that goes without saying, since I'm the _only _Zadron.  Of course, I'm a little surprised…not too many people know about us.  Not too many people even know the _name _of our race, let alone that we exist."

"We read a journal at the Hkratth Library," Blossom said.  "It mentioned you and the Zadron."

"Yes, of course, now it makes sense," Ghoraan said.  "You're probably looking for the Omega Particle, then, are you not?"

Blossom brightened up, and said, "That's right!  Do you know where it is?"

Half turning from them, Ghoraan cleared his throat and said, "Of course I do.  But that doesn't mean I'm going to _tell_ you where it is."

"What?  Why not?" Buttercup exclaimed.

"Because," Ghoraan said, looking back at them, "I need proof first that your intentions are good.  Evil must not be allowed to obtain the power of the Omega Particle…the results could be disastrous."

                "Well, we _were_ superheroes back on Earth…" Bubbles said hopefully.

                "Superheroes, eh?" Ghoraan said, not entirely convinced.

                Xianea stepped forward and said, "Allow me to explain.  You see, I have only known these three girls for a short while, but already I have seen the good in their hearts.  They try to do what's right whenever it is needed.  Since they've been out here, they've managed to avert a war between two species _and_ brought about the capture of the head of the most dangerous criminal organization in this part of the galaxy."

                Ghoraan studied Xianea for a moment, and said, "You are a Centraxian, yes?"  Xianea nodded, and Ghoraan continued, "In all my travels, I've encountered many Centraxians.  And in all that time, I have never heard of any Centraxian that would attempt to deceive anyone more than a simple lie or a few hidden truths.  The scale you're talking about is huge.  Entire organizations and species.  And I _am_ aware that someone brought peace between the Hkratth and the Sanhreni."

                "That was us," Bubbles said.

                "Indeed…well…" Ghoraan said thoughtfully.  He paced for a moment, then said, "Based on the sincerity of the Centraxians, I'm inclined to believe you.  There is still the question of your _intentions_ with the Omega Particle."

                Blossom said, "We only want to bring back our home, the Earth…and this is the only way that we can do it…"

                Buttercup added, "We really miss it, and all the people on it…"

                Bubbles begged, "Please?  We need your help…"

                "I see," Ghoraan nodded.  He took a seat again and sighed wearily.  "You know, long ago I used the stone's power to give myself a long life…and it has worked.  I have lived for many millennia.  All that time, I have guarded this secret, waiting for someone worthy of it to come along and relieve me of its burden."  He looked up and continued, "When I look into your eyes, I see something that I haven't seen in centuries…true virtue and righteousness.  So many would use such a power for selfish gain, but few would forgo that and use it to save a species.  I am most impressed by your outward dedication to this…and because of that, I will tell you."

                The girls were overjoyed, and listened eagerly to what he had to say.  Buttercup thought, _This is it…he's gonna tell us exactly where to go, and we can go right there immediately…we could have the Earth back in no time!  I can't believe it!_

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, preparing to tell the secret that he had guarded for so long.  "Go to the abandoned planet of Vahlexei.  There, you will find an ancient temple, built by the former inhabitants of that world.  Within the temple is a large pedestal…align the stones on the pedestal with the position of the moons above, and it will unlock the adjoining chamber, where you will find what you seek…the Omega Particle itself."

                "Thank you," Blossom said, shaking his hand.  "You don't know what this means to us…"

                "Oh, but I do," Ghoraan said back to her.  "I wish you luck…but, beware, for we had left a powerful creature to protect the Omega Particle and act as its guardian.  The creature is ageless, and should still be there even to this day.  The other Zadron did not tell me what the Guardian is, or what it can do, so that I would not give out its secrets.  I urge you to be careful."

                "We will.  Thanks again!" Buttercup said.  Ghoraan nodded, and started walking off.  Buttercup watched him leave for a few seconds, then turned to the others and said, "What are we standing around here for?  Let's get going!"

                Xianea nodded, "I agree.  The sooner we secure the Omega Particle, the sooner you three will have your Earth back."  She watched as Ghoraan disappeared into the docking bays, and sighed, "Someday, I hope to speak with him further.  He has lived for thousands of years.  The things he must have seen…I would be thrilled to add his knowledge to the Repository."

                Bubbles suddenly realized something, and said, "Shouldn't we try and find Mojo?  We owe him, after all…"

                "No need," came a voice.  They turned and saw Mojo walking towards them from the terminals.  He said, "I knew where to find you, so I decided to come.  Well, I have helped you…I have rendered assistance to you in the rescue of your friend.  So now you must uphold your end of the bargain, and supply me with a reward."

                Xianea looked puzzled for a moment, then said, "Oh…you must be the other Earthling the girls told me about."

                "That is correct," Mojo answered.  "Mojo Jojo is my name…that is what you will address me by, for it is who I am."

"Well, I'm happy that you were able to help," Xianea said, "but…what kind of reward were you looking for?"

"The Powerpuff Girls promised me that your home planet would be able to supply me with a sufficient reward, seeing as you had some information in your possession that they wanted."  
                "Oh yes!  The Hkratth Library…" Xianea said.  "In that case, I can say for certainty that you _will_ receive a great reward for your efforts.  I can authorize Centraxia to give you four hundred thousand galactic credits."

Mojo slapped the side of his head, "Four hundred _thousand_?!  If I had known _that_, I would not have been so hesitant in accepting the job!"  He was grinning widely.  "You know, I was pretty upset at first that your 'rescue operation' caused the downfall of the Gyahembu, for I had hoped to become involved with the organization as a mercenary…but now, with that much money, and the lack of leadership in the remainder of the Gyahembu, I can now step in and assume control of the entire organization!"

Buttercup narrowed her eyes, "Easy there, Mojo..."

"Yeah," Blossom added.  "If you're going to do something like that, you'd better try to run it more respectably than the last guy did.  Don't break the law and stuff.  Otherwise, we'd just have to come _after_ you, as usual."

Mojo gave a 'hmmph', and turned back to Xianea, saying, "All right, I will accompany you to your planet.  There, you will give me the galactic credits, right?"

"Right," Xianea promised.

Mojo said, "Fine.  Your ship will lead the way, and I will follow you there."  Without another word, Mojo started heading back for the docking bays.

Bubbles looked a little concerned as he watched Mojo leave, and asked, "Can't we go to the other place first?"

Xianea shook her head, "Actually, this works out better for us.  Vahlexei is a long trip from here, well outside the borders of controlled galactic space.  There are no stations out that way.  We'll need to stock up heavily on supplies first, and Centraxia would be the best place to do it."

"Sounds good.  Let's do it!" Blossom said.

"All right!" Bubbles exclaimed happily.  She thought, _Two more trips, that's it!  We'll be able to wish the Earth back in two more trips!  I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait…_

*              *                *

                Xianea's ship departed the checkpoint station, and aligned itself for the singularity jump.  Behind them, they could see Mojo's tiny ship getting into a similar position.  This was the first time they had actually gotten a look at it.  It was shaped almost like a standard rocket, but bore a resemblance to many of his previous robot designs as well.  A pair of wings stuck out from the sides, and the nose was actually a big glass bubble, revealing Mojo seated at the cockpit.

                "Are you sure we can trust him?" Xianea asked, preparing the calculations for the jump.

                "I think so," Blossom said.  "He's not the nicest person, but since the Earth's been blown up, he seems a lot more mellow than he used to be.

                "Yeah…I mean, he _helped_ us," Buttercup added.  "He used to _hate_ us…guess a tragedy can really change a person, huh?"

                Bubbles looked out of the window at the ship and said, "I guess you never know…"

                Xianea activated the singularity generators, and the ship kicked forward into faster-than-light speed.  Their sensors indicated that Mojo wasn't too far behind them.  "You know," Xianea said, "this is going to be cause for a great celebration.  The Centraxians have been waiting to retrieve the information from the Hkratth Library for a long time now."

                "They'll really be that happy to get it?" Bubbles asked.

                "They certainly will," Xianea answered her.  "This much information added to the Repository at once is considered a grand event.  I know you'll want to get going right away to Vahlexei, but we must stay for the festivity.  I'm sure they would also like to celebrate the imminent return of the Earth, and all the knowledge that will come with it."

                "A party _does_ sound like fun…" Blossom admitted.

                Buttercup seemed the most eager about it, "Let's do it!  It's about time we did something like this out here!  It'll be cool!"

                Bubbles hugged one of Xianea's arms and said, "Xianea, you're the best…I don't know _what_ we would have done without you…"

                Xianea smiled, "Traveling with you three has been one of the most enlightening experiences I've ever had.  We've been through a lot in the past few weeks…it hasn't been that much time, but I've felt almost my entire life."

                "I feel the same way with you," Buttercup said.  "You're the greatest thing to happen to us out here…"

                "Thank you," Xianea said.  She cast her eyes down slightly, "I feel a little sad though…"

                "How come?" Blossom asked, concerned.

                "Well…"  Xianea looked back out of the window, at the stars streaking by, and said, "Once the Earth is brought back, you'll be going home…but from the sound of it, there really isn't a place for me there…"

                Buttercup was a little shocked, "What do you mean?"

                "Earth, as you said, hadn't developed interplanetary space travel yet," Xianea explained.  "So contact with another species in the galaxy like the Centraxians is unusual.  The Earth wouldn't be ready for it.  I would be out-of-place…"

                "Nonsense," Blossom said.  "The city of Townsville, where we live, is used to seeing some of the strangest things come through it…everything from rampaging monsters to bizarre villains.  Most of them _are_ bad, but they're still not out-of-place in the context of things."

                "You'll be fine," Bubbles promised.  "They'll get used to you really fast!"

                Xianea brightened a little, "The people who live there are that open-minded?"

                "Of course!" Blossom said.  "They accepted _us_, even though we look a little different from them, and have superpowers and stuff."

                "Yeah, relax, you'll be okay there," Buttercup said.

                With a smile, Bubbles said, "You just _gotta_ meet the professor…you two'll get along great!"

                "And think of everything you can learn while you're there," Blossom added.

                Xianea looked at them, and said, "Girls…I think you've got me almost as excited as _you_ are to see the Earth.  I promise, once we finish our task on Centraxia, we'll go directly there, without wasting any more time."

                The girls shouted, "Yay!" and all three hugged her from various sides.  Xianea smiled proudly, placing her arms around them to return the embrace.  It was a happy moment…everything was finally working out perfectly for them…

                The moment was interrupted by a beep on the radar.  Curiously, Xianea looked down at it, and saw another ship, traveling along at a similar speed as them…it wasn't on an intercept course, but rather, it was traveling parallel, on its way to the same destination.  _Who could that be?_ Xianea thought.

                She started to reach for the communication's panel, but before she could, the screen lit up.  Alyxk's face appeared on it…a line of text rolled across the bottom of the screen, and a synthetic voice pronounced it aloud, "Hello, Xianea!  Hello, girls!"

                "Alyxk!" Blossom said, looking at the screen.  "How are you?"

                More text scrolled by and was pronounced, "I'm doing fine, thank you.  I figured you'd be on your way to Centraxia after rescuing Xianea, so I thought I'd start heading there."

                "Great!" Buttercup said.  "We'll meet you there!"

                Xianea nodded, "Alyxk…thank you for helping with the rescue.  That was very kind of you."

                "Not a problem," Alyxk printed.  "As I told the girls, I still owed them for the rescue of Ykrsk."

                "How _is_ Ykrsk?" Buttercup asked.

                "He's doing fine," Alyxk printed.  "He's doing some maintenance on the engine room at the moment."

                As the conversation went on, Bubbles leaned over to Blossom and whispered, "What's with the words on the screen?"

                Blossom whispered back, "Remember?  He's telepathic…he probably can't talk normally."

                "Ooh, that's right," Bubbles nodded.

                Alyxk looked down at the panels in front of him and said, "Well, keep in touch.  I'll see you at Centraxia!"  The communication screen went down.  Blossom smiled and thought, _We'll all be there…the three of us, Xianea, Mojo, Alyxk, and Ykrsk…what a celebration we'll have!  And then, it's off to Vahlexei, and the Omega Particle!  Everything's so perfect right now…and it can only get better…_

*              *                *

Xianea's ship sped on its way towards Centraxia, and both Alyxk and Mojo weren't far behind.  What none of them could see was the fourth ship, masked from their sensors, tailing them like an invisible shadow.  The lone occupant of the ship tightened his grip on the controls, and said, "There may no longer be anyone to deliver you to...but Drax Kanard never gives up his quarry..._never_..."

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	16. Deception

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

CHAPTER 16:

"Deception"

"…and so, we take this day to honor Xianea, and elevate her to the status of 'Grand Procurer of Knowledge', for her acquisition of the data contained within the long-sought Hkratth Library."

There were hundreds of thousands of Centraxians gathered at the base of the Repository of Knowledge, and they were all applauding with great enthusiasm.  There were also a large number of off-worlders in attendance, as such an event on Centraxia was rare, and the Centraxians gladly accepted anyone to join in on the festivities.  At the front were a few key individuals on Centraxia, and standing in the lead were Xianea, with the Powerpuff Girls, Mojo Jojo, Alyxk and Ykrsk standing next to her.  Except for Mojo, they were all smiling…this was a joyous occasion for all of them.  Mojo looked a little uncomfortable standing out with them, but maintained a sense of cordiality anyway.

The speaker continued, "We also honor her guests to Centraxia, the off-worlders named Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, Mojo Jojo, Alyxk, and Ykrsk.  Without their own efforts, this great success may never have happened.  Thanks to them, Xianea is safe, and back with us once again."

The speaker concluded his speech by saying, "May your name live on forever in Centraxian history, and be honored amongst even the great Ilxanye, whose great sacrifice will always be remembered."  All the Centraxians bowed their heads at the mention of that name, only for a moment, before the speaker finally announced, "Let the celebration begin!"

The roar of the crowd was almost deafening.  Light displays shot overhead, looking almost like fireworks, but look as though they were projecting lasers instead of pyrotechnics.  The Repository of Knowledge itself was lit up in dazzling colors, like a prism, and glowed like a beacon to commemorate Xianea's deed.

Buttercup was astounded by the reception they had been given.  _These people really _do_ love knowledge!_ she thought.  _The way they're celebrating, you'd think they'd won a war or something.  Heh, actually, in a way, they did…they've been tryin' to get the knowledge in that library for a long time.  I guess this really means a lot to them.  Well, that's cool…at least we're getting a party out of it!_

*              *                *

                The festival that was thrown in Xianea's honor was in full swing.  Although most of the 'food' that was supplied was in energy form, as the Centraxians usually consumed, there were enough other forms of food specially provided for the off-worlders.  Most of it was exquisite, and even the girls found it to be the best food they've ever tasted.

                They were seated at the lead table in the great hall that was being used for this event.  As they ate, Blossom asked, "So you're a 'Grand Procurer of Knowledge' now?  What exactly does that mean?"

                "It's our highest honor," Xianea explained.  "It's reserved for people that gather information on a scale far beyond that of an average Centraxian.  The Hkratth Library alone represented more than a lifetime's worth of information."

                "That's great!" Bubbles said.

                Blossom had something else on her mind, too, and asked, "Xianea…who is Ilxanye?  I noticed everyone's reaction to the name…"

                Xianea took a drink from her glass and set it down.  She explained, "Ilxanye was the most revered Centraxian in our entire history.  He was the first to establish ties to other planets, to gain information from them.  He personally gathered data from thousands of worlds.  No other Centraxian has ever even come close to such a large acquisition of knowledge."

                "Not even you?"  Bubbles asked.

                "It would have required a _hundred_ libraries like the one on the Hkratth homeworld to equal his efforts.  And also, in traveling to so many worlds, he helped bring peaceful resolutions to many a conflict…sort of like what we did with the Hkratth and the Sanhreni."

                Blossom nodded, but said, "What was this 'great sacrifice' they mentioned?"

                Xianea looked a little solemn, and said, "Once long ago, our world was invaded by a group of terrible creatures…they sought only destruction, and would listen to no reason.  And worse, we were powerless to do anything to stop them…but a great warrior who had befriended us came to defend us.  With his great skill, he defeated the creatures single-handedly.  Were it not for this warrior's courage, the Repository of Knowledge would have been destroyed, and all within it lost."

                "He must have had incredible courage," Buttercup remarked.

                Xianea nodded, "However, it was not without a cost.  He was badly injured, and unfortunately, did not survive…"

                "Ohh…how sad…" Bubbles said, softly.

                "Yes, the Centraxians were heartbroken," Xianea said.  "Ilxanye walked over to where he lay, and as the other Centraxians gathered around him, he said, 'This warrior is more noble than any of us.  My own efforts pale in comparison to his bravery.  I could never see such a pure spirit perish, not while I live…'  And with that, he laid a hand upon the warrior.  He used his own internal energy to heal the warrior's wounds and restore his life force, but in doing so, it cost him his own."

                "That's…that's so…what a sacrifice…" Blossom said, a little overcome by the story.  The other girls looked similarly affected by it.

                Xianea lifted her head and said, "Ilxanye was our greatest ideal.  He did wondrous things for us, but gave no less to any other species.  His kindness was truly legendary.  All of us can only hope to live up to his example."

                Blossom smiled…she couldn't help but feel inspired by this story.  After all, she always tried to do her best to further the cause of good…now she knew she would strive to do what's right.  And it occurred to her: isn't that what they were doing out here all this time?  They could have given up looking for a way to restore the Earth, but even with such a slim chance, they pressed onward…and now, it looked like their perseverance was going to be successful at last.  _It just goes to show_, Blossom thought, _that sometimes the greater good can be worth the risk to yourself…_

*              *                *

                Now with their supplies loaded up, Xianea's ship left the surface of Centraxia.  As it blased off into orbit, Mojo and Alyxk's ships followed close behind them.  Mojo, with his reward, was lining his ship up to head back to Paradise Fringe, while Xianea was preparing to head for Vahlexei.

                "I can't wait!" Bubbles said, hopping up and down in her seat with anticipation.

                "Yeah, this'll be a snap," Buttercup claimed.  "We'll just waltz into this old temple, get the Omega Particle, and we'll be home in no time."

                "Don't forget, Ghoraan said something about a guardian," Blossom reminded her.

                "Ahh, we'll be okay," Buttercup said, waving it off.  "We're _superheroes_, remember?  We fought all _sorts_ of giant monsters and stuff.  How tough could this guy possibly be?"

                Blossom shrugged, but said, "We're still not going to let down our guard.  This guy might be tougher than all of us.  We just barely handled a fight against an ex-Galactic Monitor, so even if only as strong as _him_, he'll be a challenge."

                "Yeah, yeah," Buttercup said.  "Whatever…"

                "Just don't rush into this, okay?" Blossom ordered.  "We don't want to do anything stupid, especially when we're so close…"

                Buttercup folded her arms, "I said, all right!  Sheesh…I know better than _that_."

                "You don't always _show_ it," Bubbles remarked.  Buttercup shot her a glance, and she looked away innocently.

                The ship finished turning to face the proper direction for their jump.  "This is it, girls," Xianea said.  "Are you ready?"

                All three of them nodded enthusiastically.  As Xianea was preparing the final calculations, the communications screen lit up once again, and Alyxk's image appeared.  His words printed out across the screen as before, "I wish you well on your journey.  Have you found any leads on this fellow you were looking for?"

                "Actually, we've already spoken with him," Xianea answered.  "He was at the last checkpoint station."

                "Really," he said, leaning forward in surprise.  "So he really exists.  Incredible."

                "Yes, the last of the Zadron," Xianea said.  "He was a wise old man…I wish to talk to him again when this is all over.  His wisdom would be of great value to the Centraxians."

                "I'm sure it would be," he replied.  "I'll keep an eye out for him, then, and let you know if I see him anyplace.  It should be fairly easy.  But that's not important…did you find out what you needed from him?"

                Xianea nodded, "Vahlexei is where we're heading next.  And it looks like it's our final destination, this time."

                "I see," Alyxk said.  "Well, in the event that our paths never cross again, let me tell you that in all my travels, and in all the people I've known across the galaxy, I have never had the pleasure of meeting a bigger bunch of fools than you."

                His words almost didn't register due to the casual way he said it.  After few moments of shocked silence, Xianea said, "What…?"

                The ship suddenly shook violently.  The girls all grabbed hold of their seats to steady themselves, as a number of small explosions ripped across their ship.  The lights flickered and then dimmed, but the communications screen stayed active.  Buttercup shouted, "Wh-what's going on?!"

                "Allow me to explain," Alyxk said.  "When I installed those weapons onto your ship, I took the liberty of installing a number of small explosive devices around it as well.  Very small, or else your systems would have detected them.  It wasn't enough to destroy you, unfortunately, but it was enough to disable you, so you won't be going anywhere."

                The girls flew up to the front, staring at the screen.  Bubbles said, "But why?  Why did you do this?"

                Alyxk leaned back nonchalantly and said, "Simple…I want to rule the universe, and the Omega Particle is the way to do it.  I had this planned from the start, and I knew you suspected nothing."

                Blossom though furiously, and said, "You mean…you've been setting us up the whole _time_?"

                "That is _exactly_ what I'm saying," Alyxk said.  "I helped you along the way so that you could find the Omega Particle _for_ me.  You don't think I was doing this because I _liked_ it, did you?"

                "What about Ykrsk?  I thought it's 'cause we saved him!" Buttercup asked.

                Alyxk seemed amused.  "My brother?  He put himself in that position _intentionally_.  That way, you would rescue him, and we would become 'friends'."

                "But how could you be so sure?" Xianea asked.  "You put a lot of confidence that these girls would be able to handle these situations…obviously they could, but that still had to have been a gamble on your part…"

                "Not at all," Alyxk continued.  "As I said, I had this planned from the _very_ start.  I've been watching Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup in secret for some time now.  I knew what they were capable of…I could see all their exploits on Earth.  The question was, how to convince them that they _needed_ to find the Omega Particle.  I puzzled over this for a while, and then it hit me.  Or rather, hit _you_…"

                Bubbles gasped, "Y-you mean…"

                Interrupting, Alyxk said, "I admit…it _was_ rather difficult to find the time, equipment, and energy required to change the course of an asteroid that size, but it was worth it…oh yes, indeed, it was worth it…"

                Alyxk's statement began to sink in, and a furious Blossom yelled, "You…_monster!!_ _YOU_ did this to the Earth?!"  Her fists shook with rage.  It was all because of him…the Earth, the loss of everyone they ever knew and loved…billions of people…all because of him.

                "It was necessary," Alyxk said.  "It got you looking for the Omega Particle, didn't it?  Now, I would love to talk further, but I must be going.  Vahlexei and the particle awaits.  Goodbye, 'friends'!"

                "Wait!" Buttercup shouted, but not soon enough.  The communications line was cut, and before they could do anything, his ship made a singularity jump, disappearing from view.

                The girls stared out of the window, speechless.  Even Xianea was at a loss for words.  After a long moment of silence, Bubbles said, "Now what?  He's gonna get there first…what do we do?"

                "I don't know…" Blossom whispered.  "He got us.  We've been doing his dirty work this whole time…and we didn't even know…"

                Buttercup clenched her eyes shut and growled, "If I ever get my hands on him…I'll…"  Buttercup couldn't finish her sentence…she was too shaken with rage.  If it hadn't been for Alyxk, they would still be on the Earth right now, instead of the Earth drifting away across the cosmos in a trillion pieces.  She wanted nothing more than to make him pay for what he did.

                Xianea checked the control panel and announced, "Self-repair systems are still operational…but it'll take an hour before we're back up and running again."

                "An hour?!" Blossom exclaimed.  "If Alyxk has an hour lead on us, he'll find the particle way before we get there!"

                "I know, I know," Xianea said, "but he was careful to make sure our singularity generators were taken offline.  We're stuck here until we can get repairs."

                "No…" Bubbles said, "No no _no_…we've come this far!  We can't give up _now_!  Isn't there _anything_ we can do?"

                Xianea lowered her head sadly.  The ship fell silent as they realized just how hopeless their predicament was.  Alyxk would get to the particle first, and would probably make himself the most powerful being in the universe.  And worse, the planet Earth would be lost forever…

                There was a sudden *_clunk_*, and the ship shook slightly.  Confused, Xianea said, "What was that?"

                The communications screen lit up again, but this time it was Mojo's image that appeared on it.  He said, "Do not be alarmed, for I, Mojo Jojo, have merely attached a temporary docking clamp to the upper part of your ship."

                "Mojo?  What are you doing?" Blossom asked.

                "I do not have time for a lengthy explanation," he said quickly.  "I have been monitoring your transmissions, and have learned about Alyxk's deception.  I am infuriated that he was the cause for the destruction of our home planet, and as such I have decided to help you out further so that you can make him pay for his transgressions!  Also, you mentioned that wherever you are going, it is a way to bring _back_ the Earth, and I would like for you to succeed in this as well."

                "So why attach your ship to _ours_?" Buttercup said.

                Xianea spoke up, "I think I understand.  Our singularity generators are offline, so you're going to use your ship to 'boost' us up to speed, right?"

                Mojo nodded, "That is correct, Centraxian!  I must activate my own singularity generator and detach my docking clamps at precisely the same time…this way, your ship will be propelled into a faster-than-light speed of travel, and my ship will remain where it is…this is necessary, because both of our ships together would be too much for my small singularity generator to advance within a safe margin of error."

                "I agree," Xianea said.

                "Mojo," Blossom said, "We really appreciate what you're doing here…"

                Mojo narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I am only doing it so that you can bring back the Earth, as of course it would give me the chance to _conquer_ it once again…"

                "Admit it, Mojo," Bubbles said.  "You miss the Earth as much as we do, don't you?"

                There was a lengthy pause, then Mojo said, "I…I…we must hurry, or else this will be a moot point.  I trust that you will be able to repair your own singularity generators before you reach you destination, as without them you would not be able to slow back down again, correct?"

                "They should be repaired well before that time," Xianea said.

                "Good," Mojo said.  "Then I will act now to send you on your way.  Farewell, and good luck, Powerpuff Girls!"

                "Thank you again, Mojo!" Blossom called out.

                With a nod, Mojo's image disappeared from the screen.  The singularity generators on his ship activated, and at the same moment, Xianea's ship was released.  Mojo's ship floated back to avoid being pulled forward by the singularity as well, while Xianea's ship shot forward, propelled into faster-than-light speed, on its way to Vahlexei, and Alyxk…

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	17. Pursuit

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

CHAPTER 17:

"Pursuit"

Drax Kanard was most intrigued by the last sets of transmissions he intercepted.  _So they're going to Vahlexei?_ he thought.  _The location of the Omega Particle…hmm…perhaps if I arrive there soon enough, I can not only destroy my targets as planned, but also acquire the particle for myself.  Ahh yes…to become the greatest warrior in the universe, to have _all_ fear my name…_ Still masked from their sensors, his ship made a singularity jump and began the pursuit…

Nearby, Mojo was turning his ship around, to head off on another course, when something caught his eye.  There was a brief flash of purple light nearby, as though someone had made a singularity jump…yet, nothing showed on his sensors.  Puzzled, he increased the power of the scans, and suddenly picked up Drax's ship.  Realizing this new danger, Mojo thought, _The Powerpuff Girls have no time to combat a bounty hunter…their mission will not be successful, and they will fail!  Clearly, something needs to be done to help them…but what?_

*              *                *

                Buttercup geared up for battle.  She was arming herself with whatever weapons she could get her hands on.  Since Xianea didn't _have_ any weapons, this amounted to a cutting torch and a small medical laser.  "You won't need all that," Blossom reminded her.  "You're gonna be able to fight just as well without it.  Probably _better_.  Our eyebeams are stronger than _either_ of those…"

                "I know, but a little extra firepower never hurt anyone," Butterup said.  Blossom sighed, and decided to just let Buttercup have her 'weapons'.  She was understandably tense; they _all_ were.  Losing the Earth was bad enough, but this was _too_ much.

                Bubbles looked almost as angry as Buttercup.  She stood off to one side, warming up for the fight by throwing punches and kicks into the air.  She wore a serious, determined expression that Blossom had only seen a rare few times before…each of those times, it had preceded a fierceness of fighting that rivaled even Buttercup's.

                Blossom herself had been going over all her battle plans.  She had to be ready to think of them and use them instinctively, rather than thinking about it for too long.  Alyxk was telepathic, after all, and she realized that if she thought about her plans too much, he might be able to read her mind and be prepared for it.  _This is going to be trickier than I thought…_

                The trip was almost over.  They were mere minutes away from the planet, and Xianea was preparing to slow the ship back down again.  The self-repair systems had fixed nearly all the damage to the ship.  There were still a few minor systems out, but the important ones, like the singularity generators, were functioning perfectly.  She looked across the readings and said, "We're now within sensor range of the planet.  I'm seeing a ship in orbit still.  Strange, they must not have landed yet…"

                "That can't be," Blossom said, flying up to look over her shoulder.  "I wonder why?"

                "Whatever the reason, they've probably picked us up on their sensors as well," Xianea said.  "Be prepared for a fight."

                Blossom nodded, and flew back to where the other girls were.  They both stopped what they were doing and signaled that they were ready also.  The ship grew closer to their destination, and finally, with a lurch, Xianea dropped the ship out of faster-than-light travel.

                Vahlexei became visible.  It was a large, barren world…it looked like the entire surface was covered with mountains and desert.  The idea that anyone could have lived there in the past seemed laughable.  There wasn't much light, either…the nearest star, though it shone brightly, wasn't enough to illuminate this world any brighter than the light from a full moon.

                Alyxk's ship was nearby, drifting along in orbit.  It was moving slowly, and releasing small metal objects out of the back.  Xianea scanned them quickly, and said, "Gravatic mines.  It looks like he's trying to lay a protective minefield."

                The communications screen lit up.  It wasn't Alyxk's face, though, but Ykrsk's.  The text rolled across the screen, and the computer pronounced it, "What?  Impossible!  How did you make it here so quickly?"

                "We had a little help," Blossom responded.  "Whatever you're planning, it won't work!"

                Ykrsk didn't look happy, but then he said, "It's too late, though.  I dropped Alyxk off on the planet surface already…he'll find the Omega Particle before you know it."

                "Not if we land and find it _first!_" Buttercup shouted.

                "Do you honestly expect me to stand by and _let_ you land?" Ykrsk said.  "I may not have finished the minefield, but that doesn't matter.  I'm more than capable of finishing you off myself."

                "We'll see about that," Blossom said back.  The communication screen shut off, and Ykrsk's ship slowly turned towards them.  Blossom looked at Xianea, "We don't have any weapons, do we?"

                Xianea shook her head, "No…Alyxk made sure that his explosives took them out as well."

                "Looks like we're going outside again," Blossom said.  "Ok, everyone, suit up!"  The three of them flew back to the airlocks and put on their spacesuits as quickly as they could.  Xianea, in the meantime, started making evasive maneuvers, as purple blasts of energy began firing at them from Ykrsk's ship.  A few of them grazed the hull, but Xianea skillfully dodged most of them.

                The girls finally emerged from the ship, out into the battle.  "What's the plan?" Buttercup shouted, as they approached the enemy ship.

                Unsure of what the range was of their species' ability to read thoughts, she decided not to risk it, and ordered, "No plan…just improvise!"  She started out by diving low, underneath the ship…Bubbles tried to circle around the ship's left side, while Buttercup just charged it head-on.  Surrounded from these three angles, Ykrsk turned towards its upper right side, the only opening.

This ended up leaving all three of them right behind him.  Buttercup grinned and said, "We're on his tail…I think we've got him now!"

At that moment, though, a small hatch opened in the back, and one of the gravatic mines he had been laying emerged from it.  The girls quickly stopped flying, to try and stay at a safe distance.  Bubbles, who was the closest, must have been a little too close, because the mine lit up, and started drifting towards her.

_Not good,_ Blossom thought, and shouted, "Bubbles, move!"

Bubbles started to fly in the opposite direction, but the mine followed her, picking up speed as it went.  She flew back and forth in an erratic pattern, but it stuck with her.  "I can't shake it!" Bubbles yelled.

"Hang on!" Blossom said.  She looked back at Ykrsk, whose ship had now come about and was preparing to fire on them.  She suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and said, "Bubbles, fly this way!"  Not quite understanding, but willing to try _anything_, Bubbles started heading over.

Buttercup, in the meantime, soared over a volley of blasts from the ship, and tried to punch through the top of it, but the hull was too strong, and all she managed to do was to put a little dent in it.  Ykrsk responded to this by rolling the ship quickly…one of the wings struck into Buttercup as it came around, knocking her away.  She spun helplessly for a few moments before she regained control.

As Bubbles flew over, the mine hot on her heels, Blossom said, "Head for Ykrsk!  When you get close to him, just fly right past him, okay?"  Bubbles nodded, and kept flying, making a beeline for the ship.  _Perfect_, Blossom thought.  _She'll fly that mine right into the ship…hopefully, it'll disable him…_

No sooner than she had thought this, though, but Ykrsk quickly turned the ship to face Bubbles, and a blast from his weapons streaked toward her.  She ducked, but then noticed that she wasn't the target; rather, the mine was.  The blast struck it, and it exploded behind her, the force from the explosion pushing her forward a little.  Thankfully, she was far enough from it that it didn't cause any damage.

_I knew it, _Blossom thought.  _He's reading my mind!  Ok, think…do something unpredictable…_  She cleared her thoughts, and just started darting around randomly, changing directions every few seconds.  Ykrsk tried to line her up for a shot, but couldn't do it.  All of his blasts went wild, not coming anywhere _near_ her.

The other girls followed her lead, and pretty soon, they were all buzzing around his ship like flies.  Ykrsk was obviously confused; he wasn't flying in any complex patterns, but rather, was just flying in a straight line, like he was trying to figure out what to do next.  Blossom still wasn't sure _what_ they were going to do next…but out of the blue, she just decided to shout, "_NOW!_"

It had the desired effect; all three of them darted towards the ship at the same time, and started pounding on it.  Where the hull was strong enough against _one_ Powerpuff, it couldn't withstand _three_.  By the time they were done, the right wing was torn completely off, and the main engine in the back was smashed and inoperable.

"Good job, girls!" Blossom said, as the three of them reconvened near the airlock of the now-disabled ship.  They were about to enter, when the front half of the ship separated from the rest of it.  It looked like little more than an escape pod.  It was retreating, not towards the planet but back towards the stars.

"Do we go after him?" Bubbles asked.

"He's not going anywhere," Blossom said.  "We've got more important things to worry about…like, Alyxk, and the Omega Stone."

Xianea's voice came over the radio, "More than that…we're in trouble, girls!"  They had almost forgotten about Xianea, and took a glance over at her ship.  It was madly dodging blasts from _another_ vessel that must have arrived while they were fighting…

"That's Drax's ship!" Buttercup exclaimed.  "He followed us!"

"Oh no…" Blossom said.  "Xianea won't be able to win that fight, not without weapons…we gotta get his attention!"  She flew a little closer, until she was sure she was within sight, and started waving her arms, "Hey!  Over here!"

Drax's ship broke off from the attack, and turned towards Blossom and the others.  Over their radios, his voice suddenly spoke, "Powerpuff Girls…there you are.  I'll deal with the Centraxian later; she's no threat to me."

_Good_, Blossom thought.  _Now to lure him away…_  "Girls…planetside, now!" she shouted.  The three quickly turned around and flew down towards Vahlexei.  As she expected, he pursued them, all they way down to the surface of the planet.

It was indeed a barren wasteland.  There were large rock outcroppings here and there, but for the most part, it was just wide-open stretches of nothing.  There was a dim, eerie light over everything, from the light of the distant stars.  It almost looked like the deserts in Arizona, but the three moons in the sky above reminded them that this was an alien world.

As they flew low across the surface, Bubbles glanced behind them and said, "He's gaining on us!"

                "Hey, let's duck into _there_," Buttercup said, pointing at a large ravine in the surface.  It was fairly deep, and large enough to accommodate people easily, but it was too small for a ship to follow.  They flew down into the ravine and landed on a small ledge, looking back up to see what Drax was up to.

                Drax's ship hovered over the ravine for a few moments, then it flew out of sight.  They could hear its engines nearby, and a moment later, there was a soft rumble as it landed.  Blossom listened carefully, and said, "Keep your eyes open…he'll be here anytime…"

                "What's the plan?" Bubbles asked.

                Blossom shrugged slightly, "I'm not sure yet…"  She looked back up at the sky, at the moons visible above…_There's something significant about them_, she thought, _but what is it?_  The answer hit her a moment later.  _Of course!_  "Hey, remember how we were supposed to align something in the temple with the planet's moons?"

                "Yeah…so?" Buttercup responded.

                "So," Blossom said, "it makes sense for the moons to be directly above the temple we're looking for.  And the moons are pretty might right overhead…so we must be close!"

                "Hey, yeah!" Bubbles exclaimed.  "We need to find it…and fast!"  They all agreed on this…who knew where Alyxk was right now?  He may already be _at_ the temple…maybe even acquiring the Omega Particle at that very moment.  Unless they could get there as quickly as possible, all was lost…and they still have Drax to worry about…

*              *                *

                Xianea watched the girls descend to the surface of Vahlexei, with Drax right on their tail.  She knew she had to follow, but just before beginning her descent, her sensors picked up the approach of another ship.  _Oh no…just what we need, more company,_ she thought.  She relaxed a little, though, when she saw who it was.

                The ship came into view as it slowed to sub-light speeds.  It immediately sent a transmission to her, "Centraxian, this is Mojo Jojo.  I have decided to make a change in plans, and not return to Paradise Fringe, for I had detected the ship belonging to the bounty hunter named Drax Kanard.  He was following you, and I have chosen to come to your assistance once again."

                "Excellent, we could use all the help we can get," Xianea replied.  "The girls are currently down on the planet surface, and Drax is in pursuit of them."

                Mojo frowned, "Then there is not much time to spare and we must act hastily.  We must both descend and find where they have gone to, before it is too late."

                Xianea nodded, "I agree.  They descended into the fifth quadrant below…you scan the northern half for his ship, while I begin searching the southern portion."  Mojo nodded back, and his face disappeared from the communication screen.  Both of them angled their ships downward, heading for the planet surface.  Xianea thought, _Hang on, girls…help is on the way…_

*              *                *

                The girls flew along the length of the ravine.  Blossom figured that as long as they used it for cover, it would be harder for Drax to find them.  The only problem was, they couldn't see anything on the surface.  Locating the temple would be a problem if all they could see was the inside of the ravine.  Every few hundred feet, one of them poked their head up over the side to see if they could spot it.

                "Why are we staying so low _anyway_?" Buttercup huffed.  "It's just one guy.  I know he was tough and everything, but I'm sure we can _outrun_ him, right?"

                "We can't take any chances," Blossom told her.  "If we get into a fight _now_, we'll lose valuable time."

                "We're losing valuable time right _now_ by not searching the area as fast as we _can_!" Buttercup insisted.

                Blossom thought about that, "Hmm…you know, you're right…maybe we _should_ take the chance.  Every second counts in this situ—"

                Bubbles interrupted her, "Hey, look!"  She pointed ahead in the ravine.  Along one side of the chasm, there was an intricately carved pattern, the first sign of some kind of civilization they saw on this planet so far.  Flying over curiously, they examined it closer.  It looked like it was carved right from the rock face, like a giant stone archway, at least a hundred feet across, with long columns running down the length of it.  There were several statues of an unidentifiable alien species, strange creatures with squid-like heads, all gathered around a larger carved figure, a monstrous demonic-looking beast.  Below this beast was a set of stone doors, sealed shut.

                "This must be it!" Blossom said.  "The temple!  And unless there's more than one way in, it looks like we're the first ones here…girls, this is our lucky day!"

                "Not quite," came a voice from overhead.  Looking up in alarm, they spotted Drax…he was hovering in the air above them, with a jetpack on his back and his laser rifle in one hand.  In the other was some kind of small, palm-sized device…it didn't look like a weapon.

                "Drax!  But how…" Bubbles began.

                "…did I find you?" Drax finished for her.  "Easy.  I built this device to home in on your unique biochemical structure.  What was it called…Chemical X?"

                Blossom gasped, and said, "How do you know about that?!"

                With a smirk, Drax said, "You were scanned by the Galactic Monitors.  Luckily, you told Xianea about everything else that was left out in those scans.  And while she was in our custody, I learned everything _she_ knew about _you_ from her memory storage.  Gives me quite the advantage, wouldn't you say?"  He raised the rifle and said, "But enough talk.  It's time to meet your _end_, Powerpuff Girls!"

                The girls immediately flew off in three different directions as Drax fired.  The orange laser that issued forth from the rifle struck the door of the temple instead, blasting a hole in it.  Blossom decided to seize the opportunity and shouted, "Now!  The temple!"  She shot quickly through the new gap that was created, and both Bubbles and Buttercup were right behind her.

                Drax quickly hovered down deeper into the ravine.  He frowned…the hole wasn't large enough for him to squeeze through.  Not that it mattered….he merely aimed his rifle and fired again, carving the entire door off of its frame.  As it feel into the depths of the chasm below, a smile crossed his face, and he flew in after them.  _What a most exhilarating hunt_, he thought to himself.  _But now I have them cornered.  There is _no_ place to run inside now…and thanks to my scanner, there is no place to _hide_, either.  I have one more surprise in store for you as well, one which will spell your doom.  It's all over, Powerpuff Girls!  Your fate is sealed…_

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	18. Temple

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *

CHAPTER 18:

"Temple"

Xianea was most intrigued by the latest readings the scanners on her ship had picked up.  Drax Kanard's ship had set down near a ravine, but there were no life signs in the area.  Mojo had decided to take his own ship down and land it near Drax's, to begin his search from there, while Xianea chose to continue looking from the skies.

As she got a better aerial view of the area, to look for them, she became aware of the upper parts of a large structure.  She almost didn't spot it before in the dim light, because it looked like it was carved from the rock rather than constructed.  The flat surfaces and straight edges gave it away, but it was still easy to miss, since only a few parts were visible from the surface; most of it probably lay underground.

She took the ship in closer for a better view.  There was no doubt about it; this had to be the temple that Ghoraan had told them about.  _It's such a large structure,_ she thought.  _Perhaps Alyxk is still searching inside.  If we're lucky, he hasn't covered much ground yet._

She did a quick circle around the temple, looking for an entrance.  Finally, on the opposite end from the ravine, she descended and landed in front of what she believed to be the main entrance.  The huge set of double doors had already been opened.  After checking that there was a breathable atmosphere outside, she exited her ship and approached the temple entrance cautiously.  It was eerily quiet…she took a deep breath and went inside…

*              *              *

                It was very dark inside the temple, yet there was still a faint light that the girls could see by.  There were small tunnels to the surface, presumably for the very purpose of letting light filter down into these deeper chambers.  Even though it was dim inside, the girls were still marveled at the artistry of the temple.  Large columns supported the ceilings, which rose in a step-pyramid-like fashion.  More carvings covered the walls, in some unidentifiable symbols that looked to be a form of language.

                However, the situation was too dire for them to stop and admire it.  Another laser blast striking the column nearby reminded them of that.  "Keep moving!  Quick, this way!" Blossom shouted.  They flew out of the chamber and down one of the nearby passageways.

                "This stinks," Buttercup said, as they zigzagged down several adjoining corridors.  "We need to fight this guy!  I wish we could at least use our eyebeams…"

                "Yeah, but we'll ruin the helmets," Bubbles reminded her.

                Suddenly, Blossom exclaimed, "Hold up!"  All three of them came to a stop, and she said, "Drax wasn't wearing a helmet, and he was able to breathe all right.  Maybe there _is_ air here."

                "Only one way to find out…" Buttercup said.  Before the other girls could stop her, she opened the seal on her helmet and lifted it off with a slight *_hiss_*.  She took a deep breath, and coughed once, doubling over for a moment.

                Bubbles gasped, concerned, "Are you okay?!"

                Holding up her hand, Buttercup coughed a few more times, and said, "Yeah…I'm okay…just, the air's kinda dusty…"

                Looking relieved, the other two took off their own helmets, and all three of them piled their helmets and suits up against the side of the corridor.  "Remember where we put these," Blossom said.  "We need to come back for them."

                Bubbles nodded, then abruptly pointed and shouted, "Look out!"  Drax had appeared at the end of the corridor, and raised his rifle, firing it again.  Bubbles immediately opened fire back with her eyebeams at the same time; the two beams collided in the middle, and exploded against each other.  It sent a small tremor down the corridor, kicking up some dust and causing loose pieces of rock to fall from the ceiling.

                "Fall back!" Blossom ordered, and they immediately headed down the passageways once again.  Drax wasn't far behind.  "If we're going to fight him, we have to do it in a larger area.  Those small tunnels look like they might collapse if we fight _there_."

                As they rounded the next bend, they came to a stop, looking up.  Though the others were speechless, Buttercup remarked, "I think _this_ is large enough…"

                They were in a huge chamber of the temple.  Many large, arch-like walkways circled around the room over a pool of water far below, which gave off a greenish hue from the color of the stone around it.  A pillar that looked to be about eight or nine stories tall rose up from the center of the room…it was surrounded by dozens of statues like the ones they had seen earlier, and water cascaded down from the top into the pool below.

                This room was also well lit compared to the rest of the temple, as there wasn't really a 'ceiling' so much as a few crisscrossing beams.  The dim starlight was able to shine fully inside, and the three moons were visible above.  The sight was breathtaking in its beauty.

                _We'd better take cover and be prepared,_ Blossom thought.  _I wish we didn't have to fight here…a lot of this will probably get damaged._  She flew over and took position behind the pillar…Bubbles and Buttercup followed her lead.  She whispered to them, "Okay…when I give the signal, plan alpha-delta-9…"

                They nodded, and waited.  From their vantage point, they could see Drax enter the room a moment later.  He gazed about for a moment, and almost looked like he too was taken in by the splendor of the temple, although only for a second.  He raised his scanner, checking it, then looked directly at their hiding place.

                "Now!" Blossom shouted.  They flew out from behind cover, one after another, flying in a straight line directly at Drax.  Before he could raise his rifle, Blossom fired a blast from her eyebeams…it struck Drax dead-center, but did little more than stagger him back a step or two.  She veered off to the left, and Bubbles, directly behind her, fired her own eyebeams, forcing him back another step.  Bubbles veered to the right, and Buttercup shot straight forward while he stumbled, striking him in the chest with a kick.

                This knocked him back another few steps, and that was all that was needed, for now he had reached the edge of the walkway, and tumbled from it into the pool below.  The girls watched him splash into the water and regrouped in the air above him.

                A bright light suddenly glowed from the bottom of the pool where he fell.  Bubbles said, "I don't think he's through yet…"  They all backed up as Drax emerged from the water, his jetpack propelling him into the air.  His rifle was slung on his back once again, and he now held a different weapon, a sleek pistol.

                "Give it up, Drax!" Buttercup yelled.  "You can't beat us!"

                Blossom nodded in agreement, "We out-fought you once before, and we can do it again!"

                As they waited for his next move, he chuckled, "You're so confident, because you've got the upper hand, aren't you?  You've got superpowers, while I must rely on technology…"  He leveled his pistol at them and said, "Allow me to _remove_ some of that confidence…"

                The girls immediately tried to move, but an energy beam lanced out from the weapon far too quickly for them to dodge…it struck Blossom, surrounding her with a bright bluish-white light.  It didn't hurt her, though…in surprise, she said, "What the…", and suddenly dropped from the air, plummeting towards the pool below.  She tried to stop her fall, but she couldn't…

                "Blossom!" Bubbles and Buttercup shouted together.  Blossom splashed into the water, and bobbed back to the surface a moment later.  They were thankful she was still okay…but then, they noticed something was wrong.  She was flailing, splashing on the surface.

                She sputtered, "H-help!  I c-can't swim!"

                "Hang on, Bloss!" Buttercup called out, flying down and lifting Blossom out of the water, who looked frightened.  "What happened?"

                "I…I couldn't fly…" Blossom stammered.  As she was set down on the walkway, she tried to fire her eyebeams experimentally, but nothing happened.  She gasped, "My powers are gone!"

                "What?!" Bubbles exclaimed.  She looked back over at Drax, who was grinning evilly, and demanded, "What did you _do_ to her?!"

                "Just a simple dampening field.  I tuned it to your energy signatures," Drax said simply.  "It'll wear off shortly…but I'm afraid you won't _live_ long enough for it to matter!"  Before Bubbles could react, he fired his pistol again, striking her with its beam.  She shrieked as she fell from the air towards the walkway below.

                Buttercup quickly dashed over and caught her with one hand at the last second, "Don't worry, Bubbles, I've got y—…"  She was interrupted when another blast from Drax struck her, and she collapsed, no longer strong enough to hold Bubbles with just one hand.  "No!" she exclaimed.

                Looking up at Drax, Blossom shouted, "You won't get away with this!"

                "But I already have," Drax declared.  "Defeating you _now_ is—if you'll pardon the expression—child's play."  He returned the pistol to his side and took out his laser rifle once again.

The girls huddled together, and Buttercup said, "Wh-what do we do now?"

"I don't know…" Blossom replied…without any powers, they didn't stand a chance against him.  For what seemed like the hundredth time in the past several weeks, the situation seemed utterly hopeless…

*              *              *

                Xianea walked slowly down the corridors of the temple.  She was fascinated by the sheer artistry of the ancient ruins.  The time and effort it must have taken to build…it was simply amazing.  She wanted to stay and examine it further, but she knew she had to help the girls before it was too late.

                As she made her way through the temple, she suddenly became aware of a sound in the distance, like footsteps.  She froze, and listened.  After a few moments, the footsteps quickened for a moment, and then stopped.  _Who could that be?_ she thought.  _It's not the girls; they don't usually walk.  It must be either Drax, or Alyxk…or maybe, Mojo Jojo…_

                She slowly crept around the corner to peek into the room.  She didn't see anyone…it was mostly empty, save for a few stone archways, and a pillar in the center of the room.  She carefully stepped forward…and suddenly, Alyxk stepped out from behind the pillar, a laser pistol in his hand aimed directly at her.

                "Xianea…you didn't think you could sneak up on me, did you?" he said with his usual telepathic buzz.  "I sensed you as you approached."

                Raising her hands, Xianea said, "Alyxk, listen…"

                "Bah," he growled.  "I was hoping you had some kind of lead on where the pedestal we're looking for might be, but you don't.  And don't bother with what you were going to say.  You're not going to talk me out of this, not when I'm so close."

                "But don't you see what you're…" Xianea started.

                "Don't _you_ see," Alyxk interrupted again, "what I could gain from the Omega Particle?  What I can _become_?  No, of course you don't.  What do _you_ know of true power?"  Before Xianea could answer, he said, "And don't give me that 'knowledge is power' nonsense that you Centraxians are so fond of."

                Xianea closed her eyes…_Clear your mind,_ she thought.  _Clear your mind…_

                Alyxk stared at her and said, "It doesn't matter…you've outlived your usefulness anyway.  You and the Powerpuff Girls got me to this planet; I can take it from here.  It has been nice knowing you, Xianea, but then again…"  He raised his pistol higher, "…no it hasn't."

                As his finger started to tighten on the trigger, Xianea didn't think, didn't formulate any kind of plan…she simply reacted.  She swung a kick upward, suddenly, striking his arm and knocking it upwards.  The laser went off, hitting the ceiling instead.  A brief tremor shook the room and pieces of rock fell…during this moment of confusion, she quickly swung one of her arms in an arc, the claws popping out of her hands and striking the pistol, slashing it to pieces in an instant.

                Alyxk fell back a few steps at this sudden action, dropping the remains of his pistol from his hands.  Xianea retracted her claws, and said, "You _will_ listen to me!  You can't do this…it would be wrong for one single person to rule the universe, _especially_ one that would be evil enough to destroy a whole _planet_ to further his own goals!"

                "And you think you're going to stop me?" Alyxk told her.  "You're welcome to try.  You may have caught me off-guard there, but now I'll be watching your every move…your every thought.  There's no way you can win this fight…"

*              *              *

                "_Jump_!" Blossom screamed, and the girls threw themselves off the side of the walkway, just as the blast from Drax's rifle struck the spot where they were just standing.  They fell down about ten feet before landing on one of the walkways just below it with a *_thud_*.

                Buttercup picked herself up stiffly, and said, "Ow!  That _hurt_…"

                Scrambling back to her feet, Bubbles asked, "_Now_ what?"

                "I have a plan…this way!" Blossom said, running down the walkway towards the pillar in the center of the room.  The other girls were hot on her heels.

                Circling around the edge of the walkway to look for where the girls had jumped to, Drax noticed they had run off.  "How pathetic, they think they can actually escape from me, now that their powers are gone?  Really…"  He circled around the side of the pillar, raising his rifle at the ready.

                The girls weren't there, however.  Confused, he took a glimpse around, but still didn't see them anywhere.  _How did they get away so fast?_ he thought.  _Well, it doesn't really matter…_  He raised his scanning device to look for them, and was stunned to see that they were nowhere within range.  He was flabbergasted for a moment, and then he remembered…their powers were gone, so the scanner wouldn't be able to pick them _up_ anymore.

                Gritting his teeth, he flew up to the top of the room to get a better view…still no sign of them.  He called out, "You can't hide forever, girls!  I'll find you, and it'll be all over for you!"  He raised his voice, "_Do you hear me?  You've lost!!_"

                There was nothing but silence.  He cursed himself for losing track of them, and started to drift down, turning away from the pillar to get a view of the many corridors leading out of the huge room.  _Maybe they ran out while I wasn't looking,_ he thought…_this could very well be a great hunting challenge…but I must find them before their powers return, or…_

                His back was to one of the statues around the side of the pillar, and he didn't notice that the girls were hiding behind the statue, clinging to the back of it.  Blossom nodded to them slowly, and all three of them leapt out from behind it, screaming, "_Yaaaaah!_"  They all landed on him…Blossom and Bubbles each clutching onto one of his arms, and Buttercup landing on his head.  Surprised, Drax thrashed around, trying to shake them off.

                Blossom was shaken off, and fell only a couple of feet before she landed at the base of one of the statues.  Bubbles, though, actually managed to pull the rifle free from his hand, while Buttercup covered his eyes so he couldn't see.  "Get off of me!" Drax yelled, trying to pry Buttercup off his head.

                Shaking her head to clear it, Blossom looked next to her and saw a loose stone that had broken free from the statue.  She scooped it up and threw it as hard as she could at Drax's back.  It struck his jetpack, and it suddenly ignited at full power.  Drax jetted out-of-control upwards…Bubbles and Buttercup fell free from him, luckily landing safely on the walkway below.  Drax tried to regain control, but not before his head struck one of the beams that made up the 'ceiling'.

                As the girls watched, he fell from the air, landing on his back on one of the lower walkways.  He was out cold.  They peered over the side at him below, just to be sure, and gave a sigh of relief.  "Oh wow," Bubbles exclaimed, "I think we got lucky that time…"

                "You said it," Blossom agreed.  "I wonder when our powers are going to come back?  He said this was only temporary…"

                "I hope it's soon," Buttercup said.  "We still gotta find where the Omega Particle is…it'll take us _forever_ on foot!"

                Bubbles had looked up, and was looking further down the walkway, "Maybe not…what's that?"  They looked at what she was pointing at, and saw that the walkway lead to a small alcove set in the wall of the room.  Curiously, they got up and walked over to it, and noticed that the alcove had a short pedestal.  On the surface of the pedestal, three concentric rings were etched, like tracks…and set into those rings were three stones, each with an image carved into them, what looked like a moon."

                "This is it!" Blossom exclaimed.  She glanced up at the open ceiling, and studied the position of the moons above.  "If we just arrange these to look like _that_, it'll open the way to the Omega Particle!  I can't believe it…we were in the right place this whole time!  Good thing Drax didn't know…"

                Slowly, and with several repeat glimpses at the sky, she slid the stones along the ring-like tracks, until they were in the proper position.  She carefully adjusted it to make it perfect.  Buttercup nodded, "Looks okay…so now what?"

                She got her answer.  There was a rumbling sound that shook the entire room, and across on the other side of the room from them, a portion of one of the walls lifted up slowly, revealing a new passageway.  "_That's_ what…c'mon, let's hurry!"

                They ran across the walkways, taking a few of them down and across until they finally figured out how to get from where they were to where the doorway was.  It was a little frustrating, especially since they could have just flown over in a second if their powers were still functioning.

                As they stood before the passageway, they were excited.  This was finally it…the Omega Particle lay within, and with Alyxk nowhere in sight, there wasn't anyone left to prevent them from using it to bring back the Earth.  So excited were they, that something crucial had slipped their minds: the particle wasn't unguarded.  But having forgot this, they proceeded within, unaware of the danger that awaited them…

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	19. Guardian

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

CHAPTER 19:

"Guardian"

"Wow…this place is huge!" Buttercup remarked, her voice echoing into the distant reaches of the area they had just walked into.  It was a vast underground cavern that looked to be almost a quarter mile in diameter.  Unlike the rest of the temple, which had been carefully sculpted and detailed, this cavern looked natural.  Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and there were stalagmites on the floor as well, although a large number of them were broken off.

Still, the place was well lit.  Some kind of faint blue moss covered the walls, and it gave the entire cavern an eerie blue glow.  As they walked forward, Blossom said, "That's strange…I don't see any other way out of here.  Where's the Omega Particle?"

"Yeah…I thought it would be right _here_…" Bubbles agreed.  "Maybe they hid it…"

Buttercup tried to fly again, but the dampening field that Drax shot them with was obviously still in place, "Nuts!  Well, we can't just _fly_ around and look.  What now?"

"I guess we try and look around the conventional way," Blosom said.  "Maybe there's some way of…"

A rumbling sound broke her off…the entire floor of the cavern trembled, throwing them all off-balance.  As it shook them around, Bubbles stammered, "Wh-what's h-happenning?  A-an e-earthquake?"  Before they could find out, the floor of the cavern ahead of them abruptly erupted in a beam of yellow light that shone up to the ceiling.  The girls fell back in alarm…and a moment later, a large, clawed hand reached up from the ground from where the light was coming, propping itself against the wall nearby.

_Oh no!_ Blossom thought.  _I forgot…Ghoraan told us there was a guardian protecting the particle!  This is not good…we don't even have our powers back yet!  How are we going to fight this thing?!_

Another clawed hand came up from the ground, propping against the opposite wall, and the Guardian pulled itself up from the light.  It was an absolutely enormous beast that bore a resemblance to the statue they saw on the way into the temple.  It looked like a cross between a giant dog or cat of some sort, and a bull…it had a furry, muscular frame and large horns protruding from its forehead.  The Guardian's sheer presence was overwhelming; it looked like it could squash any of them without so much as blinking.

The three of them couldn't move…they were rooted in fear as it clambered the rest of the way out of the ground.  As the light it had emerged from faded out, its bright yellow eyes glared down at them.  Its expression wasn't one of a wild beast like they had expected, though, but rather, it seemed to show signs of intellect and patience.  It spoke a moment later, amazingly, in English…a deep, yet serene voice that echoed across its lair, "Why have you come here?"

The girls were still stunned into silence.  Without taking her eyes off the guardian, Buttercup nudged Blossom slightly, and Blossom shook herself out of her trance, "Oh…uh…We're looking for the Omega Particle…we need its powers to bring back our planet, which was destroyed by a collision with an asteroid."

The Guardian seemed to consider this.  Blossom smiled slightly, and thought, _Maybe we're safe after all…this is obviously an intelligent being, so maybe we can just convince it to give the particle to us…_

"Know this," the Guardian rumbled.  "You may only obtain the particle if you can successfully answer my riddle.  I will only ask you once, and you will be given two minutes to devise a solution between the three of you.  Give me the correct solution, and the particle is yours."

"A riddle?" Bubbles asked aloud.

Buttercup grinned, "Heh…piece of cake!  Whaddaya say, Bloss?  Should we give it a try?"

Blossom said, "Why not?  It's worth a shot…we have to be careful, though, because it sounds like we're only getting one chance at this."

"We should wait for Xianea," Bubbles said.  "She'd be a big help for figuring it out…"

The Guardian told them, "I will wait no longer.  Do you wish to attempt the riddle?"

Blossom smiled to herself and thought, _It shouldn't be too hard to figure out…besides, if Xianea comes along later, she can make a guess herself, too, so what's the worst that could happen?_  She looked up at the Guardian and called out, "Yes, we're ready!  Ask us your riddle!"

*              *                *

                Xianea ducked aside as Alyxk charged her, swinging a punch towards her head.  She tried to counter his swing with a kick, but he already had his arm up to block the attack.  She immediately slashed both of her claws at him, but again, he avoided them easily with a light leap backwards.

                "Fast, but not fast enough," Alyxk told her.  He charged forward again, both of his arms out in an attempt to grab her.  Xianea backpedaled, and spun around, trying to use her wing to bash him as a surprise tactic.  Alyxk caught it with his hand and, holding her in place by it, kicked her in the chest, propelling her back against the wall.

Xianea straightened back up stiffly, and clutched her chest where she had been kicked.  _He wasn't kidding, _she thought.  _He knows my every move before I do it…_

                "Of course I do, Xianea!" Alyxk taunted.  "I'm going to enjoy finishing you off.  You Centraxians disgust me, with your never-ending search for knowledge.  Why bother, when the Omega Particle can make me immortal and omnipotent?  The universe is _mine_…and not you, nor anyone else can stop me from claiming what is mine!"

                "I beg to differ!" came a voice from behind him.  He swiveled around in surprise, and threw himself to one side quickly as a blast of purple energy shot by him, narrowly missing.  Xianea was also surprised at who she saw…it was Mojo, armed with a wide-barreled rifle of some kind.  He was smiling slightly, and fixed his aim so that the weapon was pointed at Alyxk's new position.

                "What?" Alyxk said.  "But…I didn't sense you…"

                "Of course you cannot sense me," Mojo told him.  "You are merely telepathic, and can only read one's surface thoughts, what they are thinking at that very moment.  However, this is only in the case of a normal being, and I, Mojo Jojo, am far from normal, as I am well above-average in that regard.  My brain, being enhanced by the residual radiation of Chemical X, has a superior mind shield to prevent thoughts from being scanned by the likes of you."

                "That can't be!" Alyxk insisted.  "You can hear my telepathic speech right now!  Why?"

                "That is simple," Mojo explained.  "My mental barrier is obviously selective, which is to say that I choose what it works on and when.  And, as you can probably guess, I would allow speech to pass, but not unwanted entry to my surface thoughts.  Now you have no advantage…you are without weapons or armament, and without a way to sense what I am about to do, so you might as well surrender and give up, for this is a fight that you cannot win!"

                Alyxk considered this, but then said, "That's what you think…"  He suddenly dove for cover behind the pillar in the center of the room…in mid-dive, he pulled two more laser pistols out from underneath his cloak, firing them rapidly at Mojo, who quickly rolled to one side to avoid it, stopping on one knee.

                With his back to the pillar, he was still facing Xianea, and started opening fire at her as well.  Xianea ducked and ran as fast as she could over to the doorway where Mojo was.  Mojo gritted his teeth in anger and whispered to her, "Curses…I did not anticipate that he would have more weapons.  I have a plan, however, and it is one that will work perfectly.  I must not tell it to you, or he will be able to read it from your mind, and it will no longer be a surprise.  You will know what to do when I give the signal."

                Xianea nodded…although she wondered briefly why Mojo was telling her this in the _first_ place.  Maybe Alyxk wouldn't know what's coming any more than she was, but he'd know something _was_ coming.  Still, she waited cautiously, preparing to react as soon as the plan was put into action.

                Mojo waited a few second, then called out, "Now!"  He didn't budge, though, and for a moment, Xianea didn't understand.  Alyxk, however, charged out from behind the pillar just as he shouted the signal, firing blindly in front of him.  He blanched a little as he realized no one was there, and he had just come out from behind cover.

                Lining up his weapon, Mojo fired the purple beam from it again, and it struck Alyxk, lifting him off his feet and slamming him against the opposite wall.  He slumped to the ground, out cold, the twin laser pistols dropping from his hands.  Mojo gave a triumphant grin.

                Xianea suddenly realized what his plan was, and said, "I get it…you told me you were going to try something, just so that he could sense it from me.  That way, when you gave your signal, he'd already be prepared for you to try something, and would make a preemptive strike, hoping to stop whatever it was you were planning on doing."

                "That is correct!" Mojo said.  "But, I was not planning to actually _make_ an attack.  My shout was merely to startle him into revealing his position behind his cover, so that I would be able to immobilize him with my _own_ weapon."

                "I must say, that was really very clever, Mojo," Xianea said, shaking his hand.  "I thank you for your help…we couldn't have done this without you."

                Mojo nodded, "No thanks are necessary.  I only hope the Powerpuff Girls have managed to succeed in whatever _they_ were planning.  Now, I will return to ship, and I will be taking Alyxk with me so that I can release him at a station or planet someplace, where he will not be able to interfere here anymore."  He walked over and picked up the unconscious Alyxk, hefting him up over his shoulder.  

                "Good luck…" Xianea started to say…before she could finish, she felt a tremor run through the ground.  It startled her, and she said, "What was _that?_"

                "Perhaps it is the girls," Mojo suggested.  "You must make haste.  Good luck!"  Mojo charged off down one of the corridors, taking Alyxk with him.  Xianea quickly hurried in the direction that the tremors felt like they were coming from.  _I hope the girls aren't in any danger_, she said.  _I'd never forgive myself if I wasn't there to help them…_

*              *                *

                The Guardian looked down at the girls, and said, "Very well.  You have two minutes when I finish the riddle."  As the girls listened carefully, he rose up, almost to the complete height of the cavern, and spoke, his words echoing even more than before:

**I am the beginning of eternity;**

**I am the end of time and space;**

**I am the beginning of every end,**

**And I am the end of every place.**

                Lowering back to the ground, the Guardian sat back into its original position and stared down at them once again, waiting patiently for their answer.  The girls were startled, and drew a blank.  Bubbles said, "Uh…well…I…"

                "Girls, huddle!" Blossom ordered.  The three of them huddled together, and she continued, "Ok, let's try to figure this out.  What could it be?"

                "Beginning of eternity…" Buttercup said.  "End of time and space…maybe it's 'Time'…"

                "I don't think so," Blossom said.  "You usually don't put the answer to a riddle right _in_ the riddle itself.  Hmm…maybe its 'Doomsday' or something…"

                Bubbles shook her head, "Isn't doomsday s'posed the end of everything?  But it said 'beginning', twice…"

                "You're right…" Blossom nodded.  "What do we do?  This is tough…"

                "Hey, why don't we just guess?" Buttercup said.  "We _have_ like a minute and a half left…we can just keep guessing until time runs out, right?  So we're _bound_ to get one right if we do it that way."

                "Perhaps…" Blossom said.

                Buttercup broke from the huddle and looked up at the Guardian.  She called out, "I think it's…'The Universe'!"

                Its yellow eyes glowed brightly, and for a moment, Buttercup thought she was right.  But then the Guardian said, "Wrong."  Without warning, an intense yellow beam of energy shot out from its eyes, and before the girls could even react, it struck Buttercup in the chest, ripping straight through her and emerging out her back.

                "_BUTTERCUP!!_" came a cry from both Blossom and Bubbles together.  Buttercup wavered on her feet momentarily.  Her eyes were wide open in shock…not in pain, but more in surprise than anything else.  In the next moment, she toppled backwards, collapsing on the ground.  The girls rushed over to her side, but they could tell it was too late.  She was already gone.

                "B-Buttercup?" Bubbles said, her voice barely a whisper.

                "No!!" Blossom shrieked, her eyes filling with tears…she flashed an angry look up at the Guardian and yelled, "You didn't _tell_ us this would happen!  _Why?!_"

                The guardian merely said, "You did not ask."

                Blossom was furious…_If only we still had our powers!_ she thought.  _Buttercup might still be alive…this is all Drax's fault!  And the guardian…if only we'd known…Buttercup wouldn't have just guessed…no, this can't be…_

"You have one minute remaining," The Guardian reminded them.

                Bubbles shook fearfully, as she realized the same thing that Blossom now realized…they didn't have much longer to figure the riddle out, and if they failed to do so, they would probably suffer the same fate as Buttercup.  She said, "B-Blossom!  What d-do we do?"

                Blossom's teeth were clenched in rage…she felt terrible about Buttercup, but she didn't have _time_ to, right now.  She had to solve that riddle…she had to focus, or it would all be over.  Thinking furiously, she said, "It's gotta be something like…something like…ooh, I don't know!!"

                "Uh, um…" Bubbles said, trying to think as well.  She was drawing a total blank, though…it was hard to think.  "It could be _anything_…a star?  No!  Life?  No, that's not it…"

                Blossom shut her eyes, and thought, _Matter?  Energy?  Entropy?  No…no…what is it?  WHAT IS IT?  We have to figure this out…everything depends on it!  The Earth, all the people…our own lives!  And if we just leave it here, Alyxk could come by, just read this guy's mind, and answer it with no problem whatsoever, and the whole _universe_ will be doomed!  Think, THINK!!_

                "Ten seconds," the Guardian informed them.  _Just make a guess,_ Blossom thought.  _Any guess.  You've had it either way…and if by some miracle, you're right…_

                She was about to speak, when Bubbles' face lit up as she said, "I've got it!"  She called out loudly up at the Guardian, "_The letter 'E'!_"

                There was a long, silent pause.  The Guardian gave a brief moment of thought, and said, "That…is correct.  You have guessed my riddle, so the Omega Particle is now yours.  And now…I bid you farewell."  As they watched in awe, the yellow light surrounded him from the ground once again.  The guardian slowly began to vanish, and as he did, the light faded out as well, the beam from the ground narrowing to a thin line, until it disappeared altogether.

                Only one light remained, now.  A small pinpoint of light descended slowly from the air…it was a brilliant amber color, and yet, they could not see its source.  As it lowered, Blossom held out her hands, letting it settle onto them, like a snowflake.  It was tiny, like a speck of dust, and it still gave out a bright enough glow to light up the surroundings.  It felt strangely warm in her hands, and she could feel its power, waiting for its final use.

                "The Omega Particle…" Blossom said, breathlessly.  It was incredible, almost beyond words.  She looked over at Bubbles, and said, "You did it…the letter 'E', that was the answer…"

                Bubbles nodded, "Yeah…the beginning of 'eternity', the end of 'time' and 'space'…it kinda made sense in a way…"

                Smiling, Blossom returned her gaze to the Omega Particle.  _This is it_, she thought.  _We've searched long and hard for it, and we finally have it.  But at what cost?_  She looked sadly over to Buttercup, who lay lifeless where she had fallen.  The tears returned to Blossom's eyes again, and she thought, _No…I can't let it end this way…maybe…maybe I should use the particle to bring her back to life again…but then…what about the Earth?  I couldn't bear to let the Earth go…but I can't bear to lose Buttercup, either…what do I do?…_

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_**


	20. Omega

GALACTIC UNITY

**By:  Mark J. Hadley__**

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

CHAPTER 20:

"Omega"

Bubbles kneeled on the ground, cradling Buttercup in her arms and crying almost nonstop.  She couldn't believe it…they had come this far, but now their sister was gone…she wouldn't have the chance to see the Earth again once they bring it back.  Blossom looked on sadly, still holding the Omega Particle in her hands and still faced with a difficult decision.

Looking up at her, Bubbles sniffed, "Y-you're going to wish Buttercup back to life, right?"

"I don't know," Blossom said, forcing her own tears back.  "We only have one wish…and if we wish Buttercup back, then the Earth will be lost forever…but if we wish the Earth back, then we've lost Buttercup…"

"No," Bubbles cried, "We gotta…we…"  She trailed off, wiping her eyes.

"It's all right, Bubbles," Blossom reassured her.  "I know how you feel…I-I feel the same way…but we have to make the choice…"

"Can't we wish them both back somehow?" Bubbles asked.  "I mean…what if we wish that the Earth wasn't destroyed in the first place?  You know…like Alyxk never sent the asteroid, or…"

Blossom shook her head, "No, we can't."

"Why _not?!_" Bubbles demanded.

"Because, think about it…" Blossom explained.  "If we do that, we'll undo _everything_ that happened out here.  We'll never have met Xianea…the Hkratth and the Sanhreni would still be at war…the Gyahembu would still be at large…everything.  We've had a larger impact on the galaxy than we thought.  And worse yet, Alyxk will still be out there, doing who-knows-what to another species to get them to find the Omega Particle, never knowing that it had already been used…"

"But…it's not fair…" Bubbles sobbed.  "H-how can we choose?"

Blossom looked back at the particle and said, "I think we have to do what's right.  What's more important, Bubbles?  The life of our sister, or the lives of everyone on Earth, including everyone else we've ever known?  We've spent our entire lives as superheroes risking our lives for what's good and what's right.  I think that…that even if Buttercup were the one to make the decision, she'd choose the Earth.  And so would I…"

Bubbles looked forlornly down at Buttercup through her tears, and closed her eyes.  She said quietly, "You're right…so would I…"

Blossom lifted the Omega Particle up, and gave a last glance at Bubbles, who finally nodded.  She tried to focus on the particle, and said, "Omega Particle…our planet, the Earth, was destroyed by a collision with an asteroid…I wish for the Earth and everyone on it to be restored, as it was before its destruction."

As she finished speaking these words, the light from the particle intensified, filling the entire cavern with brilliant amber light.  She stepped back in amazement as the particle lifted up from her hands, hovering in the air in front of her.  A bright aura seemed to build up around it, and suddenly a wave of energy blasted outwards, like an expanding bubble, picking up speed and stretching outwards from that point.  She and Bubbles shielded their eyes from it, but it passed through them harmlessly.

The energy expanded out from Vahlexei.  Though only those in the immediate vicinity of the planet would have been able to see or feel it, the particle had done its job, making the desired change to the universe.  After this was done, the glow faded, and the particle, its energy spent, vanished altogether.

Blossom slowly hung her head, and said, "It's done…the Earth should be back now.  I should be happy…but I'm…I'm really going to miss Buttercup…"

"Me…too…" Bubbles said, in a soft voice.  She got up and ran over to Blossom, hugging her and crying onto her shoulder.  Blossom patted her on the back consolingly, but she felt just as bad, and didn't know what else she could say to ease things for either of them.

They felt their strength returning at that moment…absently, Blossom thought, _Drax's dampening field…it must've worn off.  No…if only we had waited another five or ten minutes…things would be different…_  Indeed, their powers had returned to them, but too late for them to do any good…****

After a few moments of silence, they heard the sound of someone coming down the corridor towards the room.  Snapping their heads over to look in that direction, they saw Xianea running in.  She saw them and said, "Powerpuff Girls!  Are you all right?  A strange energy wave passed barely a few minu—…"

She broke off from her statement and came to a stop when she saw Buttercup lying on the ground, and the sad looks on the girls' faces.  She whispered, "…No…what happened?!"

"Drax took our powers away temporarily," Bubbles managed to say, "but we still beat him and found the Omega Particle…and then the Guardian…"

Blossom continued, "The guardian gave us a riddle…Buttercup guessed and…and it did this to her…"

"We got it right," Bubbles said.  "And…we wished the Earth back…but…"

Xianea walked over, kneeling down next to Buttercup to take a closer look…she lowered her head sadly, and said, "It's all right…don't feel bad.  You did what you knew was the right thing to do, and so did Buttercup."

"But it's our sister," Blossom said.  "I don't know how we can get along without her…"

Xianea took a deep breath, and looked into Buttercup's lifeless eyes.  She said, "From the moment we met, I could see the good in the three of you.  Something deep inside of me told me that you were special, that wherever you went, you would do great things to assist people.  Helping you along since then, my feelings were confirmed…you've shown the goodness in your hearts in everything you've said and done.  You girls risked your lives to bring your world back…such nobility is a rare thing."

She looked over at the other girls and continued, "I haven't regretted a moment with you.  I feel closer to the three of you than any other soul I've encountered in all my travels.  I felt a connection between us, almost as though you were my own daughters…and I knew that I would gladly risk my _own_ life to save yours.  I'm so very proud of you all…you persevered through even the darkest moments, the goodness within you strengthening you against it.  That is why it saddens me to see Buttercup perish in pursuit of good this way…she deserves to continue the fight, with the rest of you…"

She returned her gaze to Buttercup and spoke softly, recalling the words of Ilxanye, "I could never see such a pure spirit perish, not while I live…"  With that, she laid her hand on Buttercup, and closed her eyes.  As the girls watched in surprise through their teary eyes, a brilliant white glow surrounded Xianea and Buttercup.  The wound on her chest seemed to vanish, like it was never there…

A few seconds later, Buttercup's eyes blinked a few times, and she took in a sharp, surprised breath.  Blossom and Bubbles' mouths fell open in astonishment, as Buttercup lifted her head weakly, and groaned, "Uhhh…hh…what…happened?"  Xianea pulled her hand away finally.

"_Buttercup!!!_" both of the other girls shouted, flying over and each of them tackling her with a hug.

"You're alive!" Bubbles said, tears of joy streaming down her face.

Buttercup managed a grin, and said, "Never…felt better…"

Blossom smiled up at Xianea and said, "I can't believe it…you did it…"  Xianea smiled back at her, but there seemed to be a weakness showing in her eyes, and suddenly, Blossom remembered.  The smile faded from her face as she said, "Xianea…you're…"

Xianea slowly nodded…a moment later, her strength gave out, and she collapsed onto her back.  Blossom and Bubbles immediately ran over by her side, and even Buttercup managed to get to her feet. Bubbles was in tears, "Xianea!  No!"

"It's…all right…" Xianea said weakly.  "…lived a…good life…knowing…I helped…you…"  She gave a final smile…and then, the soft blue glow of her eyes faded as she closed them.  She went limp, and breathed out one last time.  A strange glow surrounded her, as each of her mechanical Centraxian cells began an automated self-destruct procedure.  Within a few seconds, she had begun to dissolve away, and when the glow finally faded, there was no trace of her left…

Blossom couldn't believe she was gone.  Looking tearfully up, she thought, _Xianea…you were such a good friend.  I see now that we meant as much to you as you meant to us…all the fame and honor that you would have received at Centraxia meant nothing to you compared to keeping us safe.  We'll miss you…although you gave your life for Buttercup, you'll always live on in our hearts…_

*              *                *

                The next few days were still busy, as they traveled across that section of the galaxy, tying up the last few loose ends before returning to Earth.  They first recovered their spacesuits from the temple before heading out…they had also taken Drax aboard their ship, and had caught up with Ykrsk as well, still in orbit.  They transported them both to the nearest Checkpoint Station.  It was there they learned that Mojo had been through that same station and had turned Alyxk over to the Galactic Monitors.  He wasn't still there when they arrived, though, for he had found out that the Earth had been restored, and set out for it immediately.

                The girls didn't have time to travel to Centraxia…they wanted so badly to return to the Earth again.  The three of them did send a long message to the planet, however, detailing the events of what happened, and giving them their heartfelt condolences over her loss, and praise for her sacrifice.

                Their business was completed, and they finally made their way back to Earth.  Blossom skillfully brought the ship down to sub-light speeds, bringing them out in the correct region.  Ahead of them, they saw it, growing larger as they approached…the sight of the familiar blues and greens of Earth brought tears to their eyes.  Bubbles and Buttercup were pressed up against the window, watching it with unbridled joy.

                "It worked!" Buttercup exclaimed.  "It's back!  The Earth is back!"

                "I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life…" Bubbles said breathlessly.

                Blossom was smiling with excitement, as she said, "Hang on, I'm taking us down…"

                The ship descended from the skies, towards the ground far below.  They passed through the thick cloud cover and emerged, passing over an absolutely gorgeous landscape.  As they flew in the direction of Townsville, they could see a flock of birds passing outside their window, and the waves crashing up against the shoreline bar beneath them.

                Finally, the gleaming city skyline of Townsville became visible.  The girls let out a cheer…it was all back the way it was!  They carefully flew over the center of the city and descended slowly towards Townsville Park.  Their approach didn't go unnoticed, and by the time they had set the ship down, a large crowd of people had gathered around.

The citizens' faces showed signs of concern at first, but their uneasiness quickly turned to excited relief when the girls emerged from the ship.  A huge cheer went up from the crowd as everyone celebrated their return.  Amongst the crowd, they saw familiar faces…the Mayor, Miss Bellum, Ms. Keane…and Professor Utonium.  Upon sight of him, the girls flew over, nearly knocking him off his feet as they hugged him, shouting, "Professor!"

"Girls!  I'm so glad you're back!" the professor exclaimed.  He hugged them back tightly.

"Oh, we thought we'd never see you again," Blossom said happily.

"Yeah!" Buttercup agreed.  "We've been traveling through space, and…"

The professor held one of his hands up and said, "I know, girls…"  Some of the people stepped aside, revealing Mojo Jojo standing along with them.  "Mojo arrived here yesterday, and he told us everything.  Until he showed up and explained the situation, all of us were wondering why the asteroid simply seemed to vanish just before it hit us."

"That is correct," Mojo said.  "I told them of our exploits in space, and the events that lead to the Earth's restoration.  I knew that you would not be too far behind me, so I told them to expect your arrival within a few days at the most."

"That's awfully nice of you, Mojo!" Bubbles said.

Mojo cracked a small grin and said, "Do not think this changes anything between us, however.  I may have cooperated with you so that you could bring our world back, but it was only so that I could once again have the opportunity to become its ruler.  And it's ruler I shall become!"

"Oh, really…" Buttercup said, not convinced.  "So then why didn't you take it over while we were gone yesterday?"

"I…er…" Mojo said, fidgeting.  "I…I must return to the observatory, to continue my planning."  He resumed a confident tone of voice and pointed at them, "Enjoy well this victory, Powerpuff Girls, for soon I will defeat you, single-handedly!"  Pulling his cape around him in a flourish, he turned and started walking off towards his volcano-top observatory.

Blossom called over, "For what it's worth…thank you, Mojo."  Mojo hesitated, but didn't turn around…a moment later, he continued walking, disappearing into the crowd.  Blossom smiled a little to herself.  _Maybe there _is_ a little good deep down inside him somewhere, _she thought.  _I don't think we can count on ever seeing it again…but it's nice to know that it's there._

                She looked back at the professor, who said, "I'm sure you have many stories to tell about your adventures…"

                "Do we ever!" Buttercup said, nodding.  "Do you wanna hear them?"

                "Of course I do," the professor said with a smile.  "Tell me everything…"

                As the rest of the town waved  goodbye and let up another cheer, the girls picked up the professor and started flying back home with him, each of them starting to tell him about all the things they've seen and done while in space.  They felt so happy talking to him…it was something they missed, probably more than anything else on Earth…

*              *                *

                It was great to get acquainted with everything again.  After all the time away from Earth, they had nearly forgotten how much they missed everything.  But they had to admit; they were going to miss traveling amongst the stars as well.  That night, the girls donned their spacesuits once again, and flew up into orbit, to get a look at the planet from afar once again.

                It was an astounding view.  As the three of them hovered there, watching the earth rotate slowly beneath them, Buttercup said, "Y'know, I hope we never have to go through something like this again…but if we did, and we had to travel across the galaxy and risk our lives to save everyone, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

                "Me too," Blossom said.  "I only wish…I only wish Xianea could have seen the Earth."

                "Yeah," Buttercup agreed sadly.

                Bubbles turned around to look out at the stars and pointed, "Look…see that one on the right?  Isn't that Centraxia's star?"

                Blossom looked over and said, "Hey, I think you're right…Bubbles, you've given us a good way to remember Xianea.  Every time we look up at that star, we'll remember Centraxia, and think of her…"

                The three of them watched the star for a few moments, thinking about everything Xianea did for them.  Bubbles remembered her kindness and gentle attitude.  Blossom remembered how she taught them, and gave advice when it was needed.  And Buttercup remembered how she was there for them, when their spirits were low, and their future seemed bleak, to offer her support.

But most of all, they remembered how she had given them hope…only together were they able to overcome the incredible odds against them to succeed in doing the impossible.  It was this unity, this bond between them, that pulled them together and made them strong.

The girls took a last glimpse at Centraxia's star, and started flying back towards the Earth.  They streaked across the sky, back towards Townsville, leaving a bright rainbow-like streak of pink, blue, and green in their wake, like a highway to the stars.  For a moment, Centraxia's star twinkled, as if returning the girls' feelings, and to remind them that they would never be alone…

**_THE END_**


End file.
